Longitudinal prospective associations between psychological symptoms and heavy episodic drinking from adolescence to midlife.
AIM
This study examined whether development of psychological symptoms (PS) differed between persons with different longitudinal profiles of heavy episodic drinking (HED) from adolescence to midlife. In addition, the reciprocal associations between PS and HED were studied.


METHODS
Participants of a Finnish cohort study in 1983 at age 16 ( N = 2194) were followed up at ages 22 ( N = 1656), 32 ( N = 1471), and 42 ( N = 1334). HED was assessed with frequency of intoxication (16-22 years) and having six or more drinks in a session (32-42 years). Using latent class analysis, the participants were allocated to steady high, increased, moderate, and steady low groups according to their longitudinal profiles of HED. The PS scale (16-42 years) covered five mental complaints. The latent growth curve of PS was estimated in the HED groups for comparisons. In addition, the prospective associations between symptoms and HED were examined using cross-lagged autoregressive models.


RESULTS
PS grew from 16 to 32 years, but declined after that, with women having higher level of PS than men. PS trajectory followed a path at highest and lowest level in the steady high and steady low HED groups, respectively. Symptoms predicted later HED, but the association in the opposite direction was not found.


CONCLUSIONS
The more the HED trajectory indicated frequent HED, the higher was the level of PS throughout the follow-up. Results support the self-medication hypothesis, suggesting that alcohol is used to ease the burden of PS. More attention should be paid to alcohol use of people with mental symptoms in health services.
['Berg|Noora J|NJ|https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4115-3797', 'Kiviruusu|Olli H|OH|', 'Lintonen|Tomi P|TP|', 'Huurre|Taina M|TM|']
D000293:Adolescent D000328:Adult D000428:Alcohol Drinking D005260:Female D005387:Finland D006801:Humans D008137:Longitudinal Studies D008297:Male D001523:Mental Disorders D008960:Models, Psychological D011446:Prospective Studies D012307:Risk Factors D055815:Young Adult
psychological symptoms heavy episodic drinking alcohol life course mental health