Autistic traits and alcohol use in adolescents within the general population.

This study followed over 2,000 teenagers from ages 14-18 to understand how autism-like traits affect drinking habits. Teens with more autistic traits (like preferring to be alone, being anxious in new situations, or focusing on details) were less likely to drink alcohol. When they did drink, they consumed less and were less likely to binge drink. This suggests that certain autistic characteristics might actually protect teenagers from developing drinking problems.

This longitudinal study examined the relationship between autistic traits and alcohol use in 2,045 adolescents aged 14-18 from the IMAGEN cohort. Researchers measured autistic traits including social preference/skills, rigidity, nervousness in new situations, and detail orientation. Linear regression analyses revealed that higher autistic trait scores were associated with reduced alcohol consumption trajectories over time. Among adolescents who did consume alcohol, those with more autistic traits drank less per occasion and were less likely to engage in binge drinking.

Specific traits showing significant associations included social preference, nervousness for new situations, and detail orientation. The findings suggest autistic traits may serve as protective factors against problematic alcohol use during adolescence.

Clinicians should recognize that autistic traits may serve protective functions against alcohol use disorders in adolescence. This challenges assumptions about vulnerability and suggests targeted prevention approaches may differ for adolescents with autistic traits. Monitoring and intervention strategies should account for these protective factors.

Study type not specified in the abstract. Sample characteristics beyond age and size not provided. Autistic traits measured using selected items from questionnaires rather than validated autism-specific assessments. Causal relationships cannot be established from the design described.

It has been suggested that autistic traits are associated with less frequent alcohol use in adolescence. Our study seeks to examine the relationship between autistic traits and alcohol use in a large adolescent population. Leveraging data from the IMAGEN cohort, including 2045 14-year-old adolescents that were followed-up to age 18, we selected items on social preference/skills and rigidity from different questionnaires. We used linear regression models to (1) test the effect of the sum scores on the prevalence of alcohol use (AUDIT-C) over time, (2) explore the relationship between autistic traits and alcohol use patterns, and (3) explore the specific effect of each autistic trait on alcohol use.

Higher scores on the selected items were associated with trajectories of less alcohol use from the ages between 14 and 18 (b = - 0.030; CI 95% = - 0.042, - 0.017; p < 0.001). Among adolescents who used alcohol, those who reported more autistic traits were also drinking less per occasion than their peers and were less likely to engage in binge drinking. We found significant associations between alcohol use and social preference (p < 0.001), nervousness for new situations (p = 0.001), and detail orientation (p < 0.001). Autistic traits (social impairment, detail orientation, and anxiety) may buffer against alcohol use in adolescence.