Guttmannova et al20 investigated possible effects on adult alcohol misuse and dependence (whether any within 12 months prior to interview and for how many follow-up waves) of AFD and the initiation of regular drinking among a sample of 808 people who had initiated drinking prior to the US legal age of 21 years. For analysis purposes AFD was categorised into four age ranges, less than 11 years old, 11–14 years old, 15–17 years old and 18–20 years old. Data on alcohol-related outcomes were collected at 3-yearly intervals from age 21 years to age 33 years. The authors found no association between AFD and alcohol misuse. While AFD was not related to the occurrence of any diagnosis of dependence to age 33 years, it was associated with the number of interviews for which a past year diagnosis was applicable, with AFD before 11 years being at elevated risk compared with ages 11–14 years in a model controlling for demographic and other adolescent substance use variables (OR 1.68, p<0.05). The authors were particularly interested in evaluating a sensitive period hypothesis, that vulnerability
