14.11.2024 - Over the past decade, young people’s mental health issues have increased, while alcohol use has decreased. However, the downward trend in underage drinking seems to be slowing and may even be stabilizing in some cases.
Anxiety symptoms have risen among both heavy drinkers and non-drinkers. Alcohol consumption has decreased at a similar rate among youth experiencing anxiety and those with fewer symptoms.
The correlation between anxiety and binge drinking isn’t strong, but the simultaneous presence of mental health issues and substance use burdens thousands of young people each year.
"The concurrent occurrence of anxiety and binge drinking among young people does not appear to be decreasing, even though overall alcohol use is declining," says Noora Berg, senior researcher at the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL).
The proportion of girls with both anxiety symptoms and high levels of binge drinking increased by 29% between 2013 and 2023, while for boys, this group has remained relatively stable.
Underage youth still primarily access alcohol through friends, but online purchasing is rising
The accessibility of alcohol significantly influences young people’s drinking behavior. For underage youth, the most common way to obtain alcohol is through friends. In 2024, a third of young people who used alcohol reported obtaining it from friends on their last drinking occasion. The internet and social media platforms are emerging as new purchasing channels alongside traditional ones.
Young people also report receiving alcohol from their parents more frequently than before. In 2024, 7% of respondents said their parents had purchased alcohol, while 19% said their parents had provided it during their last drinking experience.
"Parents may think they are protecting their children by obtaining alcohol for them, believing they can monitor how much is consumed and its source. However, our analysis suggests that alcohol from parents often supplements, rather than replaces, alcohol obtained elsewhere," explains senior researcher Kirsimarja Raitasalo from THL.
Societal changes both exacerbate and mitigate anxiety and alcohol use among youth
Several societal factors can simultaneously contribute to increased anxiety and reduced alcohol consumption. For example, academic and career pressures may increase anxiety, while also creating an incentive to avoid substance use to maintain functionality.
"Social media use is another example. It may increase anxiety, but at the same time, a decline in face-to-face interactions can reduce opportunities for youth to consume substances," says Noora Berg.
Addressing co-occurring substance and mental health issues in prevention
The co-occurrence of substance use and mental health issues is linked to more severe future symptoms and substance use development, posing challenges for prevention and treatment. It is crucial to address risky substance use among those with mental health challenges, and equally essential to prevent mental health issues among heavy substance users.
In alcohol prevention, focusing on reducing the availability of alcohol through channels accessible to youth is key.
In Finland, the integration of mental health and substance abuse services has advanced, although regional differences remain significant. These findings underscore the continued need to develop integrated mental health and substance abuse services.
The results are based on two datasets. Findings related to binge drinking and anxiety symptoms are drawn from THL’s School Health Surveys from 2013–2023, with responses from 874,110 students in grades 8 and 9, first- and second-year high school students, and first- and second-year vocational school students. The findings related to youth alcohol procurement are based on the Finnish dataset from the 2024 European School Survey Project on Alcohol and Other Drugs (ESPAD), focusing on 15- to 16-year-olds.
Berg, Noora; Kiviruusu, Olli. (2024) Trends in the co-occurrence and association between heavy episodic drinking and generalized anxiety among adolescents between 2013 and 2023 in Finland. International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction.
Raitasalo, Kirsimarja. (2024) Alaikäisten alkoholihankinnat: muutokset hankinnan koetussa helppoudessa ja hankintatavoissa vuosina 2015–2024. Yhteiskuntapolitiikka-lehti