This study will use a highly innovative approach to pool data from four large and long-running Australasian cohort studies to better understand the developmental precursors and psychosocial consequences of teen drinking behaviours. Findings will provide dramatically improved knowledge of the developmental pathways to teen and young adult drinking and a clearer picture of the total burden of disease attributable to alcohol in an Australasian setting.

Project Collaborators External

• Associate Professor John Horwood University of Otago
• Professor David Fergusson University of Otago
• Professor Jackob Najman University of Queensland
• Professor George Patton University of Melbourne
• Professor John Toumbourou Deakin University
• Dr Carolyn Coffey Murdoch Childrens Research Institute, University of Melbourne
• Dr Craig Olsson Murdoch Childrens Research Institute, University of Melbourne
• Dr Elizabeth Spry Murdoch Childrens Research Institute, University of Melbourne
• Associate Professor Raimondo Bruno University of Tasmania
• Dr Robert Tait Curtin University
• Dr Rohan Borschmann Murdoch Childrens Research Institute, University of Melbourne
• Dr Maria Plotnikova University of Queensland
• Dr George Youssef Deakin University
• Dr Denise Becker Murdoch Childrens Research Institute, University of Melbourne
• Dr Helena Romaniuk Murdoch Childrens Research Institute, University of Melbourne

Project Supporters

NHMRC

Drinking excessively in teen and young adult years is an increasing phenomenon and concern. However, little is known of the antecedents of many of the drinking behaviours and of related problems, as existing studies focus on late adolescence with considerably less attention given to understanding the early precursors of teen drinking behaviours. Additionally, some patterns of antecedent behaviours and of teen drinking behaviours (e.g. extreme binging or abstinence) occur infrequently and cannot be reliably analysed statistically in single cohorts. This study will integrate data from multiple large cohorts to increase sample size and provide power to conduct analyses of the antecedents and consequences of excessive teen drinking. The project builds on the work of the Cannabis Cohort Research Consortium, whose members have successfully conducted longitudinal analyses using these four cohorts.

To establish the antecedents and developmental consequences of high risk and excessive teen drinking.

Design and Method

Researchers will undertake integrative analyses across four of the region’s largest and most mature longitudinal studies of child development, which together have approximately 10,000 participants:

• The Australian Temperament Project (ATP)
• The Christchurch Health and Development Study (CHDS)
• The Mater Hospital and University of Queensland Study of Pregnancy (MUSP)
• The Victorian Adolescent Health Cohort (VAHCS)

Progress/Update

Capacity-building data harmonisation workshopfor investigators conducted. Alcohol use variables harmonised across cohorts and integrated dataset expanded. Cohort-based working groups established and analyses in progress. NHMRC Project Grant which builds on current work in development.

Benefits

This project will be the first to bring together data from large, mature cohorts on the relationships between high risk and excessive teen alcohol use, other substance use, mental health and social development.

Previous research by the group using the integrated dataset was published in Lancet Psychiatry (Silins et al., Young adult sequelae of adolescent cannabis use: an integrative analysis; Lancet Psychiatry 2014; 1: 286-93) and findings received widespread national and international print, radio, television and online media coverage. An invited paper is under review (Hutchinson et al., Viewpoint: How can data harmonisation benefit mental health research? An example of the Cannabis Cohorts Research Consortium (CCRC); Australian New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, 2014).

Numerous papers are in preparation: (1) Patterns of alcohol use and the transition to first parenthood; (2) Patterns of alcohol use and violence/aggression; (3) Patterns of alcohol use and alcohol-related problems in adolescence and suicide attempt; (4) Young adult sequelae of adolescent alcohol use.

Published papers

Silins, E., Fergusson, DM., Patton, GC., Horwood, L John., Olsson, CA., Hutchinson, DM., Degenhardt, L., Tait, R., Borschmann, R., Coffey, C., Toumbourou, JW., Najman, J., Mattick, RP., for the Cannabis Cohorts Research Consortium. Adolescent substance use and educational attainment: An integrative data analysis comparing cannabis and alcohol from three Australasian cohorts. Lancet Psychiatry (2015, submitted).

Presentations (presenter underlined)

Silins, E., Fergusson, DM., Patton, GC., Horwood, L John., Olsson, CA., Hutchinson, DM., Degenhardt, L., Tait, R., Borschmann, R., Coffey, C., Toumbourou, JW., Najman, J., Mattick, RP., for the Cannabis Cohorts Research Consortium. Adolescent substance use and educational attainment: An integrative data analysis comparing cannabis and alcohol from three Australasian cohorts. College on Problems of Drug Dependence. Poster. Phoenix, AZ. 16^th June 2015.

Silins, E., Fergusson, DM., Patton, GC., Horwood, L John., Olsson, CA., Hutchinson, DM., Degenhardt, L., Tait, R., Borschmann, R., Coffey, C., Toumbourou, JW., Najman, J., Mattick, RP., for the Cannabis Cohorts Research Consortium. Adolescent substance use and educational attainment: An integrative data analysis comparing cannabis and alcohol from three Australasian cohorts. NIDA International Forum. Poster. Phoenix, AZ. 15^th June 2015.