Depressive Symptoms and Suicidal Ideation as Predictors of Alcohol Consumption in Adolescents

Introduction: Adolescence, owing to its biological and social changes, is a vulnerable stage. The-refore, it is crucial to study the adolescent predisposition to alcohol intake and the mental health factors that may increase this risk, thereby affecting their overall health and development. Objective: To analyze depressive symptoms and suicidal ideation as predictors of alcohol consumption in adolescents. Methods: The research design was non-experimental, predictive, comparative, and quantitative. In total, 503 adolescents were selected through non-probability sampling, of which 53.9 % were female and 46.1 % male, with an average age of 15 years. Scales measuring depressive symptoms, suicidal ideation, and substance use were utilized, as well as statistical analyses included Structural Equation Modeling (SEM). Results: The model showed a good fit to the data (CFI = 0.91, RMSEA = 0.064 [90 % CI: 0.058, 0.071], SRMR = 0.059). It was found that depressive symptoms (β = 0.41, p = 0.005) significantly predicted alcohol consumption positively, while suicidal ideation (β =-0.11, p = 0.382) showed a non-signifi-cant negative relationship. Conclusions: The findings indicate that depressive symptoms predict alcohol consumption in adolescents, while the relationship between suicidal ideation and alcohol intake is not significant. Therefore, it is essential to apply psychological tests to identify indicators and develop a prevention plan for psychoactive substances in this age group.