Anxiety Psychopathology and Alcohol Use among Adolescents: A Critical Review of the Empirical Literature and Recommendations for Future Research

Abstract

Adolescent alcohol use is a critical public health concern; accordingly, a considerable body of work exists identifying developmentally salient risk and protective factors. One area receiving increasing attention among adults is the linkage between specific constellations of anxiety psychopathology and alcohol use problems. Relatively less is known about such linkages among adolescents, despite the onset of both anxiety-type problems and alcohol use during this developmental period. The current review presents a detailed summary and analysis of the empirical literature focused on specific forms of anxiety psychopathology as they relate to alcohol use among adolescents, and provides a number of specific recommendations for future work with an emphasis on the utility of experimental psychopathology techniques for clarifying basic questions and forwarding this body of work.