Physical violence and alcohol drinking consumption among teenagers

Abstract

Introduction: Adolescence is a period of transition, between childhood and adulthood marked by biological, psychological and social changes. These changes characterize the situations of vulnerability to which these individuals are exposed. Objective: The aim of this study was to examine the association between alcohol consumption and involvement in physical violence among adolescent students in the city of Olinda, Pernambuco, Brazil. Methods: This was a pilot, cross-sectional, study conducted with adolescents enrolled in high school. The Youth Risk Behavior Survey questionnaire was applied in the classroom and questions were taken from the modules on alcohol consumption, violence and socioeconomic data. Analysis of associations was performed using the Chi-square test, or Fisher's exact test when the Chisquare parameters were not met. Results: Involvement in physical altercations was associated with male gender (p = 0.001), alcohol consumption in the last 30 days (p = 0.019), binge drinking (p = 0.022) and higher maternal education (p = 0.037). Conclusion: There was an association between the consumption of alcohol by adolescents and physical violence. These results are an indication of the vulnerability to which this population is exposed and is a warning of the need for further studies to investigate this issue.