A network approach to examining alcohol use and AUD risk factors across adolescence and adulthood
Year: 2026
Type: preprint
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: Alcohol use disorder (AUD) involves a complex interplay of risk factors that are rarely studied in combination, despite likely influencing one another in shaping vulnerability to problematic use. Network analysis offers a means of capturing these interconnections simultaneously, providing insights that traditional analytical approaches cannot. The present study applied this approach to examine (1) the item-level structure of the AUDIT, one of the most widely used screening tools for hazardous alcohol use, and (2) the interconnections among established AUD risk factors, including age of onset, craving, drinking motives, mental health symptoms, impulsivity, and tobacco use (n = 933), comparing networks between adolescents (16-25 years; n = 421) and adults (35-65 years; n = 252). In the AUDIT network, consumption measures clustered strongly together, with binge drinking central in connecting consumption to use-related problems including loss of control. This structure was consistent across age groups, with no differences in network structure or edges. In the AUD risk factor network, alcohol consumption was highly central, drinking motives were strongly interconnected, and mental health symptoms were associated with executive functioning. This structure was again found to be consistent across age groups. However, adolescents reported significantly higher levels of alcohol use, use-related problems, and several AUD risk factors compared to adults. These findings suggest that while the severity of alcohol use, use-related problems and AUD risk factors may differ across development, the underlying relational structure appears comparable.
Language: English
Subfield: Epidemiology
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7167519270