Anxiety disorders and first alcohol use in the general population. Findings from a nationally representative sample.

Objective: To examine how early onset anxiety disorders are related to age of first alcohol use in a general population sample.
Method: Discrete time survival analysis was used to model the odds of first alcohol use among those with, vs without, early onset anxiety disorders. Data came from the 2007 Australian National Survey of Mental Health and Wellbeing.
Results: After adjusting for the effects of family history of alcohol/drug use, sex, age cohort and education, people who experienced an early onset anxiety disorder had a 27% increased odds of first alcohol use in any given year, when compared to those with no anxiety disorder. This effect was particularly strong for transitions to first alcohol use that occurred after the age of 13 years.
Conclusions: Early onset anxiety disorders significantly predict first alcohol use in the general population and this relationship appears to be related to change over time. These results point to the need for developmentally appropriate and integrated prevention programs that target anxiety and alcohol use together.
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