Predictors of fighting attributed to alcohol use among adolescent drinkers

This study examined demographic and psychosocial factors to determine the predictors of fighting attributed to alcohol use among adolescent drinkers. Analyses were based on the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health which is a nationally representative sample of adolescents in Grades 7 through 11. The prospective analyses were restricted to those adolescent drinkers who participated in both data waves (n=6041) collected in 1995 and 1996. A logistic regression model was constructed using a backward elimination procedure to identify the significant predictors of initiating fighting attributed to alcohol use at Time 2 (1996). We found that frequent drinking, high-volume drinking, trouble in school, low college expectations and weekly involvement in sports were significant predictors of initiating fighting attributed to alcohol use. These findings suggest that prevention efforts targeting the reduction of frequent and heavy alcohol use may be particularly useful strategies for preventing fighting attributed to alcohol use.