Associations between Harmful Experiences from Alcohol Use of Others and Mental Health in Korean Adolescents

This study assessed alcohol-induced harm to those not drinking and investigated its association with mental health in Korean adolescents. The 14th Korea Youth Risk Behavior Survey (2018) was used and 60,040 adolescents were analyzed. Harm from others’ alcohol consumption was assessed by four criteria: teasing in public places, being scared in public places, sleep problems, and unsafety of public places due to people drinking alcohol. Mental health included stress, depressive symptoms, suicidal ideation, and attempted suicide. Harm reported due to the alcohol use of others was 5.8% for teasing in public places, 33.6% for being scared in public places, 5.6% for sleep problems, and 40.2% for unsafety of public places among total study participants. Experiences of teasing in public places due to people who drank alcohol were associated with an increased risk of stress, depressive symptoms, suicidal ideation, and suicide attempts. Similarly, experiences of being scared in public places, sleep problems, and unsafety of public places due to people who drank alcohol were associated with poor mental health. In the stratified analysis, alcohol-induced harm was associated with poor mental health in both non-drinkers and drinkers. Harmful experiences from others’ alcohol consumption were associated with poor mental health among Korean adolescents.