ALCOHOL CONSUMPTION AND ANTISOCIAL-CRIMINAL BEHAVIOR IN ADOLESCENTS

Abstract

Alcohol consumption and antisocial-criminal behavior a relevant social and public health problem.  The objective of the research that gave rise to this scientific article was to determine the relationship between alcohol consumption and antisocial-criminal behavior in adolescents. A quantitative, non-experimental, descriptive-correlational, cross-sectional approach was used. The study included 271 adolescents (50.6% male and 49.4% female), aged between 12 and 19 years, using a non-probabilistic convenience sampling with inclusion criteria. The instruments used were the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Questionnaire (AUDIT) and the Antisocial-Criminal Behavior Questionnaire (A-D). The analysis showed low alcohol consumption or abstinence (95.2%) and low presence of antisocial (89.3%) and criminal (88.93%) behaviors. There were no differences by sex in the study variables (p > .05). A low positive relationship was confirmed between alcohol consumption and antisocial behavior (r = .206; p < .05), as well as alcohol consumption and criminal behavior (r = .199; p < .05), that is, as alcohol consumption increases or decreases, antisocial-criminal behavior also.