Higher levels of loneliness reported in children prior to the age of 12 years predicted alcohol-related issues emerging in adulthood, researchers reported in Addictive Behaviors Reports.
Julie Patock-Peckham, PhD, an assistant research professor at Arizona State University, and colleagues assessed the direct and indirect relationships between childhood loneliness, stress, impaired control over alcohol use and alcohol-related issues to determine whether childhood loneliness can influence patterns of alcohol use.
A total of 310 university students (156 male; 154 female) were included in the study