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Does alcohol consumption reinforce mental problems in adolescence?

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  • Lacruz, Ana Isabel Gil
  • Lacruz, Marta Gil

Abstract

The main goal of this article is to provide empirical evidence that alcohol consumption reinforces the occurrence of mental illnesses even at early stages of life. We control probit estimations for unobserved heterogeneity and endogeneity. We have drawn a sample of 73,024 individuals from the Spanish National Survey on Drug Use in the School Population (2000, 2002, 2004). Our results confirm our theoretical hypothesis that alcohol consumption has a negative influence on youth state of health, but the magnitude of this influence is lower once we controlled for unobserved heterogeneity and endogeneity. Gender differences reveal that females are more likely to have been prescribed tranquilizers, and they are also more vulnerable to alcohol consumption than males are. As effective instruments to improve young people well-being, we suggest increasing the price of liquors and a greater parental control in how their children spend their available budget, and more important, in how they feel.

Suggested Citation

  • Lacruz, Ana Isabel Gil & Lacruz, Marta Gil, 2010. "Does alcohol consumption reinforce mental problems in adolescence?," Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics (formerly The Journal of Socio-Economics), Elsevier, vol. 39(2), pages 223-232, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:soceco:v:39:y:2010:i:2:p:223-232
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    3. Anna Maccagnan & Tim Taylor & Mathew P. White, 2020. "Valuing the Relationship Between Drug and Alcohol Use and Life Satisfaction: Findings from the Crime Survey for England and Wales," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 21(3), pages 877-898, March.

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