Age at first alcohol use and weapon carrying among adolescents: Findings from the 2019 Youth Risk Behavior Survey

Philip Baiden; Nusrat Jahan; Henry K Onyeaka; Shawndaya Thrasher; Savarra Tadeo; Erin Findley

doi:10.1016/j.ssmph.2021.100820

Age at first alcohol use and weapon carrying among adolescents: Findings from the 2019 Youth Risk Behavior Survey

SSM Popul Health. 2021 May 15:15:100820. doi: 10.1016/j.ssmph.2021.100820. eCollection 2021 Sep.

Authors

Philip Baiden¹, Nusrat Jahan², Henry K Onyeaka³, Shawndaya Thrasher⁴, Savarra Tadeo⁵, Erin Findley¹

Affiliations

¹ The University of Texas at Arlington, School of Social Work, 211 S. Cooper St., Box 19129, Arlington, TX, 76019, USA.
² The University of Texas at Arlington, Department of Psychology, 501 Nedderman Dr., Box 19528, Arlington, TX, 76019, USA.
³ Harvard Medical School, Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital/McLean Hospital, Boston, MA, 02115, USA.
⁴ University of Kentucky, College of Social Work, 619 Patterson Office Tower, Lexington, KY, 40506, USA.
⁵ Florida State University, College of Social Work, 296 Champions Way, University Center, Building C-Suite 2500, Tallahassee, FL, 32306, USA.

Abstract

Background: Although studies have investigated the association between alcohol use and violent behaviors such as weapon carrying, few studies have examined the association between age at first alcohol use and weapon-carrying among adolescents. The objective of this study was to investigate the association between age at first alcohol use and weapon carrying among adolescents.

Methods: Data for this study came from the 2019 Youth Risk Behavior Survey. An analytic sample of 13,442 adolescents aged 14-18 years old (51% female) was analyzed using binary logistic regression. The outcome variable investigated in this study was weapon carrying during the past 30 days, and the main explanatory variable investigated was age at first alcohol use.

Results: Of the 13,442 adolescents, 13.5% carried a weapon during the past 30 days, and 15.4% reported having their first alcoholic drink before age 13. In the multivariable logistic regression, adolescents who reported having alcohol before age 13 had more than double the odds of carrying a weapon when compared to those who never had alcohol before age 13 (AOR = 2.32, p < .001, 95% CI = 1.87-2.89). Other significant factors associated with weapon carrying include male gender, victim of bullying, teen dating violence, sexual violence, suicidal ideation, and history of substance use. Adolescents who self-identified as Black/African American or Hispanic were significantly less likely to carry a weapon when compared to adolescents who self-identified as non-Hispanic White.

Conclusion: The findings of this study underscore the importance of developing age appropriate intervention strategies to curb early initiation of alcohol use and weapon carrying among adolescents.

Keywords: Adolescents; Age at first alcohol use; Victimization; Violent behaviors; Weapon carrying.