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Introduction: Previous research has shown associations between parental problem drinking and adverse mental health outcomes in children. However, while many studies assess parental alcohol problems based on clinical measures, longitudinal studies that investigate the impact of potentially less severe levels of parental alcohol problems are scarce. The aim of this study was to examine if the existence and severity of child‐reported parental problem drinking in adolescence is associated with symptoms of depression and anxiety in young adult men and women. Methods: Data was obtained from the Swedish national cohort study Futura01, including 3143 participants born in 2001 who were surveyed in 2017 (age 15–16) and 2022 (age 20–21). Parental problem drinking was measured at age 15–16 with the short version of The Children of Alcoholics Screening Test. Depression and anxiety symptoms were measured at age 20–21 with the Patient Health Questionnaire‐4. Registry information on gender, parental education and parental country of birth were included as covariates. Results: The results demonstrated an exposure‐response pattern, with greater severity of parental problem drinking associated with an increased probability of reporting depression and anxiety symptoms 5 years later. The association between parental problem drinking and subsequent depression symptoms was however present only in females. Discussion and Conclusions: Adolescents exposed to parental problem drinking have elevated risks of long‐term adverse mental health. These risks increase with greater severity of parental problem drinking. It is thus crucial with efforts preventing parental problem drinking and efforts promoting health among children and adolescents who are exposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: To examine gender differences in drinking habits among Swedish ninth graders over the period 1989–2021. Methods: Annual school surveys with nationally representative samples of ninth‐grade students in Sweden covering the period 1989–2021, total sample of 180,538 students. Drinking habits were measured with self‐reports of frequency and quantity of use and frequency of heavy episodic drinking. Differences between genders were compared annually and differences were tested using logistic and ordinary least square regression models with cluster robust standard errors. Results: Small gender differences in the prevalence of alcohol use during the first part of the study period were followed by an increasing gap over the past decade with girls being more likely to drink alcohol than boys. Boys consumed larger amounts of alcohol than girls during the first three decades of the studied period but no gender differences were found in later years. Binge drinking was more prevalent among boys during 1989 to 2000 but no systematic gender difference was found during the past 15 years. Discussion and Conclusions: There used to be clear gender differences in drinking habits among ninth graders in Sweden with boys drinking more than girls. This gap has narrowed over the past three decades and among contemporary adolescents, no gender differences are found neither in binge drinking nor volume of drinking and the prevalence of drinking is even higher among girls. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and aims: Sweden has experienced a substantial decrease in adolescent drinking over the past decades. Whether the reduction persists into early adulthood remains unclear. Using survey data, the present study aimed to determine whether reductions in indicators of alcohol use observed among adolescents remain in early adulthood and whether changes in alcohol intake are consistent among light/moderate and heavy drinkers. Design: Data from the Swedish monthly Alcohol Monitoring Survey (2001–20) were used to construct five 5‐year birth cohorts (1978–82, 1983–87, 1988–92, 1993–97 and 1998–2002). Setting: Sweden. Participants: A total of n = 52 847 respondents (48% females) aged 16 and 30 years were included in this study. Measurements For both males and females, temporal changes in the prevalence of any drinking, the prevalence of heavy episodic drinking (HED) and total alcohol intake in the past 30 days in centilitres were analysed. Findings The prevalence of any drinking in more recent cohorts remained low until young people came into their early (females) and mid‐ (males) 20s. Male cohorts differed in the prevalence of HED across age, with the later cohorts showing lower odds than earlier cohorts (odds ratios between 0.54 and 0.66). Among females, no systematic differences between cohorts across age could be observed. Later male birth cohorts in light/moderate drinkers had lower alcohol intake than earlier cohorts (correlation coefficients between −0.09 and −0.54). No statistically significant cohort effects were found for male heavy drinkers. Although differences in alcohol intake among females diminished as age increased, the cohorts did not differ systematically in their level of alcohol intake. Conclusions: In Sweden, the reduced uptake of drinking in adolescents appears to fade as people move into adulthood. Observed reductions in alcohol intake among light and moderate drinkers appear to persist into adulthood. More recent male cohorts show a lower prevalence rate of heavy episodic drinking. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND - There is a renewed interest in alcohol’s harm to others (AHTO), and survey studies in the general population are often used to estimate the extent of harm, to address the severity and variety of harms, and to identify the victims of such harm. While cross-sectional survey studies are attractive in several respects, they also entail several methodological challenges. AIM - We discuss some of these issues, paying particular attention to the problems of causal attribution, transferability, survey data collection and range of harms. CONCLUSIONS - We offer some suggestions for study design to enhance causal inferences from studies examining alcohol’s harm to others.

Background and Aims: The prevalence of cannabis use based on self‐reports is likely to be underestimated in population surveys, especially in contexts where its use is a criminal offence. Indirect survey methods ask sensitive questions ensuring that answers cannot be identified with an individual respondent, therefore potentially resulting in more reliable estimates. We aimed to measure whether the indirect survey method 'randomized response technique' (RRT) increased response rate and/or increased disclosure of cannabis use among young adults compared with a traditional survey. Design: We conducted two parallel nation‐wide surveys during the spring and the summer of 2021. The first survey was a traditional questionnaire‐based one (focusing on substance use and gambling). The second survey applied an indirect survey method known as 'the cross‐wise model' to questions related to cannabis use. The two surveys employed identical procedures (e.g. invitations, reminders and wording of the questions) Setting and Participants: The participants were young adults (aged 18–29 years) living in Sweden. The traditional survey had 1200 respondents (56.9% women) and the indirect survey had 2951 respondents (53.6% women). Measurements In both surveys, cannabis use was assessed according to three time‐frames: life‐time use; use during the past year; and use during the past 30 days. Findings The estimated prevalence of cannabis use was two‐ to threefold higher on all measures when estimated using the indirect survey method compared with the traditional survey: use during life‐time (43.2 versus 27.3%); during the past year (19.2 versus 10.4%); and during the past 30 days (13.2 versus 3.7%). The discrepancy was larger among males and individuals with an education shorter than 10 years, who were unemployed, and who were born in non‐European countries. Conclusions: Indirect survey methods may provide more accurate estimates than traditional surveys on prevalence of self‐reported cannabis use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: To estimate the prevalence of children with problem drinking parents in Sweden and the extent to which they have an elevated risk of poor health, social relationships and school situation in comparison with other children. Methods: Survey with a nationally representative sample of Swedish youth aged 15–16 years (n = 5576) was conducted in 2017. A short version of The Children of Alcoholics Screening Test (CAST‐6) was used to identify children with problem drinking parents. Health status, social relations and school situation were measured by well‐established measures. Overall prevalences for girls and boys were presented as well as relative risks (RR) of harm for children with problem drinking parents compared with other children. Results: A total of 13.1% of the sample had at least one problem drinking parent during adolescence according to CAST‐6—a higher proportion of girls (15.4%) than boys (10.8%). This group had an elevated risk of poor general health as well psychosomatic problems compared with other children (RR 1.2–1.9). They were also more likely to use medication for depression, sleeping difficulties and anxiety (RR 2.2–2.6). Their social relations were also worse especially with their father (RR 3.1) and they had more problems at school (RR 2.6). Discussion and Conclusions: The risk of problems related to parental drinking goes beyond the most severe cases where parents have been in treatment for their alcohol problem. This is important knowledge since the majority of problem drinkers never seek treatment and the major part of parental problem drinking is found in population samples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: There is limited knowledge about how individual experiences of harm from others' drinking are influenced by heavy episodic drinking (HED) at the country level. The present study aimed to assess (1) the association between the country-level prevalence of HED and the risk of experiencing harm from others' drinking-related aggression and (2) if HED at the country level modifies the association between consumption of alcohol per capita (APC) and such harm. Methods: Outcome data from 32,576 participants from 19 European countries stem from the RARHA SEAS study. Self-reported harm from others' drinking included having been verbally abused, harmed physically, or having serious arguments. Data on country-level drinking patterns were derived from the World Health Organization. Associations between country-level prevalence of monthly HED and experiences of aggression (at least 1 of 3 studied harms) were derived through multilevel models – adjusted for country-level age structure and by including the respondent's own HED patterns as a mediator. Results: A 1% increase in the prevalence of monthly HED was associated with 5% higher odds (odds ratio [OR] 1.05) of experiencing others' alcohol-related aggression among men, and 6% (OR 1.06) among women. The results suggest that the association between APC and harm was stronger in countries with high prevalences of HED, but the modifying effect could not be confirmed. Discussion/Conclusion: Harm from others' drinking-related aggression depends not only on individual factors but is also influenced by the drinking patterns of the population. However, the country-level prevalence of HED only explains a small part of the variance of this type of harm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]