TY - JOUR

T1 - Predictors of self-reported alcohol use and attitudes toward alcohol among 11 year old British children with and without intellectual disability

AU - Emerson, Eric Broughton

AU - Robertson, Janet Margaret

AU - Baines, Susannah May Johnston

AU - Hatton, Christopher Rowan

N1 - This is the peer reviewed version of the following article: Emerson, E., Robertson, J., Baines, S., and Hatton, C. (2016) Predictors of self-reported alcohol use and attitudes toward alcohol among 11-year-old British children with and without intellectual disability. Journal of Intellectual Disability Research, 60: 1212–1226. doi: 10.1111/jir.12334. which has been published in final form at http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jir.12334/abstract This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance With Wiley Terms and Conditions for self-archiving.

PY - 2016/12

Y1 - 2016/12

N2 - BackgroundReducing harmful levels of alcohol consumption among children is an important public health concern internationally and in many high income countries. Little is known about levels and predictors of alcohol use among children with intellectual disability.MethodSecondary analysis of child self-report data at age 11 years collected in the UK’s Millennium Cohort Study. ResultsChildren with intellectual disability were significantly more likely to: have used alcohol in the last four weeks; to have had five or more alcoholic drinks on one occasion; to have had five or more alcoholic drinks or been intoxicated on one occasion; to have more positive attitudes about the psychological and social benefits of drinking; to have less negative attitudes about the social and physical costs of drinking. Potentially harmful levels of drinking (intoxication or 5+ alcoholic drinks on one occasion) among children with intellectual disability were associated with child smoking, having friends who use alcohol, reporting that drinking makes it easier to make friends and reporting that drinking reduces worrying. Children with intellectual disability accounted for 9% of all children with potentially harmful levels of drinking.ConclusionPublic health interventions to reduce potentially harmful drinking among children in general must recognise that children with intellectual disability are a potentially high risk group and ensure that interventions are appropriately adjusted to take account of their particular needs and situation. Future research in this area is needed to untangle the causal pathways between attitudes toward alcohol and alcohol use among children with intellectual disability and the extent to which levels of alcohol use and predictors of alcohol use may be moderated by severity of intellectual disability.

AB - BackgroundReducing harmful levels of alcohol consumption among children is an important public health concern internationally and in many high income countries. Little is known about levels and predictors of alcohol use among children with intellectual disability.MethodSecondary analysis of child self-report data at age 11 years collected in the UK’s Millennium Cohort Study. ResultsChildren with intellectual disability were significantly more likely to: have used alcohol in the last four weeks; to have had five or more alcoholic drinks on one occasion; to have had five or more alcoholic drinks or been intoxicated on one occasion; to have more positive attitudes about the psychological and social benefits of drinking; to have less negative attitudes about the social and physical costs of drinking. Potentially harmful levels of drinking (intoxication or 5+ alcoholic drinks on one occasion) among children with intellectual disability were associated with child smoking, having friends who use alcohol, reporting that drinking makes it easier to make friends and reporting that drinking reduces worrying. Children with intellectual disability accounted for 9% of all children with potentially harmful levels of drinking.ConclusionPublic health interventions to reduce potentially harmful drinking among children in general must recognise that children with intellectual disability are a potentially high risk group and ensure that interventions are appropriately adjusted to take account of their particular needs and situation. Future research in this area is needed to untangle the causal pathways between attitudes toward alcohol and alcohol use among children with intellectual disability and the extent to which levels of alcohol use and predictors of alcohol use may be moderated by severity of intellectual disability.

M3 - Journal article

VL - 60

SP - 1212

EP - 1226

JO - Journal of Intellectual Disability Research

JF - Journal of Intellectual Disability Research

SN - 0964-2633

IS - 12

ER -