Autistic traits and alcohol use in adolescents within the general population

Alcohol use among populations with autism spectrum disorder: narrative systematic review

BACKGROUND

Alcohol use in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is under-researched. Previous reviews have explored substance use as a whole, but this neglects individual characteristics unique to different substances. Alcohol use in non-clinical samples is associated with diverse responses. To advance practice and policy, an improved understanding of alcohol use among people with ASD is crucial to meet individual needs.

AIMS

This was a narrative systematic review of the current literature on the association between alcohol use and ASD, focusing on aetiology (biological, psychological, social and environmental risk factors) and implications (consequences and protective factors) of alcohol use in autistic populations who utilise clinical services. We sought to identify priority research questions and offer policy and practice recommendations.

METHOD

PROSPERO Registration: CRD42023430291. The search was conducted across five databases: CINAHL, EMBASE, MEDLINE, PsychINFO and Global Health. Included studies explored alcohol use and ASD within clinical samples.

RESULTS

A total of 22 studies was included in the final review. The pooled prevalence of alcohol use disorder in ASD was 1.6% and 16.1% in large population registers and clinical settings, respectively. Four components were identified as possible aetiological risk factors: age, co-occurring conditions, gender and genetics. We identified ten implications for co-occurring alcohol use disorder in ASD, summarised as a concept map.

CONCLUSION

Emerging trends in the literature suggest direction and principles for research and practice. Future studies should use a standardised methodological approach, including psychometrically validated instruments and representative samples, to inform policy and improve the experience for autistic populations with co-occurring alcohol use.

The relationship between substance use and self-reported aspects of social functioning in patients with a psychotic disorder

BACKGROUND

In patients with a psychotic disorder, rates of substance use (tobacco, cannabis, and alcohol) are higher compared to the general population. However, little is known about associations between substance use and self-reported aspects of social functioning in patients with a psychotic disorder.

METHODS

In this cross-sectional study of 281 community-dwelling patients with a psychotic disorder, linear regression models were used to assess associations between substance use (tobacco, cannabis, or alcohol) and self-reported aspects of social functioning (perceived social support, stigmatization, social participation, or loneliness) adjusting for confounders (age, gender, and severity of psychopathology).

RESULTS

Compared to nonsmokers, both intermediate and heavy smokers reported lower scores on loneliness (E = -0.580, SE = 0.258, p = 0.025 and E = -0.547, SE = 0,272, p = 0.046, respectively). Daily cannabis users reported less social participation deficits than non-cannabis users (E = -0.348, SE = 0.145, p = 0.017). Problematic alcohol use was associated with more perceived social support compared to non-alcohol use (E = 3.152, SE = 1.102, p = 0.005). Polysubstance users reported less loneliness compared to no users (E = -0.569, SE = 0.287, p = 0.049).

CONCLUSIONS

Substance use in patients with psychosis is associated with more favorable scores on various self-reported aspects of social functioning.