A study at Idaho and Michigan State Universities found that pre-school children who were less able to control their impulses and behaviour were more likely to begin drinking in early adolescence, while those more able to adapt their self-control to their environment were less likely to.
The study, 'Trajectories of Behavioural Control and Resiliency', is part of the Michigan Longitudinal Study, which has tracked 386 children of alcoholics and 128 matched control children aged from three to five since the mid-1980s.
'These findings are important, because we know that early drinking (at 14 or earlier) is associated with a greater likelihood for alcohol abuse or dependence in adulthood,' said lead author Dr Maria M Wong, a psychologist at Idaho State University.
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