Alcohol use, delinquency and victimization among juveniles in Europe: results from an international multi-centric study (ISRD-2)

Abstract

The existence of a significant correlation between alcohol use and crime has long been acknowledged in the scientific literature. Moreover, alcohol use constitutes a serious public health problem. In order to ascertain the existence of significant relationships among alcohol use, victimization and delinquency among young people, and to describe the nature and characteristics of such relationships, a database was set up to record the results of the “International Self-Report Delinquency Study 2”. This database was created by selecting a sample of young people (N=57,771) of both sexes, aged between 12 and 16 years, in 25 European countries. The research focused chiefly on the role of alcohol use and the various modes of alcohol consumption, and sought to analyze the influence exerted by different life situations (age, sex, lifestyle, friendships and personality traits). Alcohol consumption proved to be a very widespread phenomenon among young people, particularly among youths who commit crimes and those who are victims of crime. Moreover, it emerged that the abuse of alcohol was the consumption modality most closely associated with delinquency and victimization. A risky lifestyle, a lack of self-control, a positive attitude toward violence and an involvement in deviant youth groups are factors significantly associated with involvement in the use of alcohol. The results yielded by the present study indicate that alcohol use is strongly associated with delinquency among young people in Europe, and that so-called “binge drinking” is the consumption modality most closely associated with both offending and being offended against.