Alcohol Use Patterns Among Underage Autistic and Non-Autistic Youth.
Laura Graham Holmes, Ziming Xuan, Emily Quinn and 6 others
PMID 37751088WHAT IT FOUND
Underage autistic youth drink less frequently and heavily than non-autistic peers, but those who do drink are more likely to have depression or a history of bullying.
They also report lower masking of autistic traits. This suggests prevention strategies need to address these specific risk factors.
Key findings
01Autistic youth reported fewer days of drinking in the past 12 months (30 vs. 36 days) and fewer episodes of heavy episodic drinking in the past month (0 vs. 2) compared to non-autistic youth.
02For autistic youth, drinking two or more times in the past year was predicted by higher scores for bullying and exclusion experiences and lower scores for masking autistic traits.
03A lifetime diagnosis of depression was the only psychiatric diagnosis associated with drinking two or more times in the past year for autistic youth.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for OTs
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What it does not show
The study is cross-sectional, so it identifies associations but cannot prove that depression or bullying cause alcohol use. The sample was recruited using quota sampling to include 50% drinkers, so the results cannot be used to estimate the prevalence of underage drinking in the autistic population. The demographic composition of the autistic group differed from the non-autistic group, with the autistic group having more cisgender males, more White participants, and more participants attending college, which may affect generalizability. The study only included autistic youth who could complete a survey independently, so findings may not apply to autistic individuals with more significant communication or intellectual support needs. Information about psychotropic medication use was not collected, despite its potential interaction with alcohol.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume that because autistic youth report lower overall rates of alcohol use, they are at low risk for alcohol-related harm. The study found that autistic youth who do drink are more likely to have comorbid depression and histories of bullying, and they may drink to cope with these stressors. A patient's infrequent drinking pattern does not rule out hazardous use or the need for targeted prevention.