Reciprocal Effects of Alcohol Use and Violence Perpetration Among Mexican Early Adolescents: Differences By Gender and Type of Violence

Background and Purpose: Substance use and violence perpetration often co-occur among adolescents, but the causal link and its direction remain unclear. For example, substance use may lead to violence through disinhibition, and violence may lead to substance use to cope with distress. Few studies have examined the reciprocal effects of substance use and violence longitudinally, and seldom outside the USA. This study examined bidirectional effects of alcohol use and violence perpetration among a sample of early adolescents in Mexico. Because connections between substance use and violence may be gender-specific, we examined these relationships separately by gender and explored both bullying/aggression and criminally violent behavior.

Methods: Three waves of data (N=4,830) from a feasibility trial of a school-based prevention curriculum in Mexico were collected from students at the beginning, middle and end of 7^th grade (M_age=12.0) at 17 public schools in Mexico City, Guadalajara, and Monterrey. We tested the bidirectional relationships between last-30-day alcohol frequency and two violence scales— bullying/aggression and violent criminal behavior. We estimated multi-group (by gender) cross-lagged path models in Mplus, controlling for age, city/site, school session (AM/PM), and intervention condition.

Results: Gender differences in alcohol use at the beginning of 7^th grade (boys using more often) reversed direction by the end of the school year. Although boys reported higher levels of both types of violence at all times, the prevalence of any use of violence was similar in both genders. In path models, alcohol use predicted later criminally violent behavior, for both boys and girls, and durably (T1 to T2, T2 to T3). Bullying/aggression predicted later alcohol use for boys and girls, and durably (T1 to T2, T2 to T3). Bidirectional relationships were present only from the beginning to middle of 7th grade, and were specific to gender and type of violence. Alcohol and criminal violence were reciprocally related only for boys, while alcohol and bullying/aggression were reciprocally related only for girls.

Conclusions and Implications: Findings suggest a reciprocal relationship exists between substance use and violence perpetration, but that the type of violence is important to consider. For girls, bullying and aggression both led to and resulted from alcohol use, whereas for boys, criminal violent acts were relevant to understanding the origins and risks of alcohol use. Possible explanations include the influence of traditional gender roles and entry into antisocial peer groups. Implications for substance use and violence prevention will be discussed.