The current study, based on a large UK cohort, examines the relationship between depressive symptoms reported across adolescence and alcohol phenotypes at age 18 years 8 months. The primary objectives of the current study are to: (1) to derive a longitudinal model of depressive symptoms in early to late adolescence using data spanning 12 years 10 months to 17 years 10 months; and (2) to estimate the relationship between measures characterizing variation and change in depressive symptoms and later alcohol use and harmful use. We hypothesize that higher initial levels of depressive symptoms, and more pronounced growth in these symptoms, will be associated with harmful alcohol use [11, 12]. We further hypothesize that this relationship will be stronger in females, based on previously described subtypes of alcohol dependence [5, 6]. This study will contribute to the extant literature in that it employs a large, generalizable sample that has been assessed consistently for depressive symptoms during a critical developmental time frame for both depression and alcohol use and misuse. Furthermore, the availability of a broad range of other relevant phenotypes, including
