TY - JOUR
T1 - Patterns of high-intensity drinking among young adults in the United States
T2 - A repeated measures latent class analysis
AU - Patrick, Megan E.
AU - Terry-McElrath, Yvonne M.
AU - Schulenberg, John E.
AU - Bray, Bethany C.
N1 - Funding Information:
This study was funded by support from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism [R01 AA023504 to M. E. Patrick] and the National Institute on Drug Abuse [R01 DA037902 to M. E. Patrick; R01 DA001411 and R01 DA016575 to L. D. Johnston; P50 DA10075 and P50 DA039838 to L. M. Collins]. The content here is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the sponsors. The authors declare no conflicts of interest.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2017 Elsevier Ltd
PY - 2017/11
Y1 - 2017/11
N2 - Objective Using a national sample of young adults, this study identified latent classes of alcohol use including high-intensity drinking (10+ drinks) from ages 18 to 25/26, and explored associations between time-invariant covariates measured at age 18 and class membership. Method Longitudinal data from the national Monitoring the Future study were available for 1078 individuals (51% female) first surveyed as 12th grade students in 2005–2008, and followed through modal age 25/26. Repeated measures latent class analysis was used to identify latent classes based on self-reported alcohol use: no past 30-day drinking, 1–9 drinks per occasion in the past 2 weeks, and 10+ drinks per occasion. Results Four latent classes of alcohol use from ages 18 to 25/26 were identified: (1) Non-Drinkers (21%); (2) Legal Non-High-Intensity Drinkers (23%); (3) Persistent Non-High-Intensity Drinkers (40%); and (4) High-Intensity Drinkers (16%). Membership in the High-Intensity Drinkers class was characterized by higher than average probabilities of high-intensity drinking at all ages, with the probability of high-intensity drinking increasing between ages 18 and 21/22. Both gender and race/ethnicity significantly differentiated class membership, whereas neither parental education (a proxy for socioeconomic status) nor college plans at 12th grade showed significant associations. Conclusions More than one in seven individuals who were seniors in high school experienced a long-term pattern of high-intensity drinking lasting into middle young adulthood. Young adult high-intensity drinking is often preceded by high-intensity drinking in high school, suggesting the importance of screening and prevention for high-intensity drinking during adolescence.
AB - Objective Using a national sample of young adults, this study identified latent classes of alcohol use including high-intensity drinking (10+ drinks) from ages 18 to 25/26, and explored associations between time-invariant covariates measured at age 18 and class membership. Method Longitudinal data from the national Monitoring the Future study were available for 1078 individuals (51% female) first surveyed as 12th grade students in 2005–2008, and followed through modal age 25/26. Repeated measures latent class analysis was used to identify latent classes based on self-reported alcohol use: no past 30-day drinking, 1–9 drinks per occasion in the past 2 weeks, and 10+ drinks per occasion. Results Four latent classes of alcohol use from ages 18 to 25/26 were identified: (1) Non-Drinkers (21%); (2) Legal Non-High-Intensity Drinkers (23%); (3) Persistent Non-High-Intensity Drinkers (40%); and (4) High-Intensity Drinkers (16%). Membership in the High-Intensity Drinkers class was characterized by higher than average probabilities of high-intensity drinking at all ages, with the probability of high-intensity drinking increasing between ages 18 and 21/22. Both gender and race/ethnicity significantly differentiated class membership, whereas neither parental education (a proxy for socioeconomic status) nor college plans at 12th grade showed significant associations. Conclusions More than one in seven individuals who were seniors in high school experienced a long-term pattern of high-intensity drinking lasting into middle young adulthood. Young adult high-intensity drinking is often preceded by high-intensity drinking in high school, suggesting the importance of screening and prevention for high-intensity drinking during adolescence.
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U2 - 10.1016/j.addbeh.2017.06.004
DO - 10.1016/j.addbeh.2017.06.004
M3 - Article
C2 - 28628871
AN - SCOPUS:85020869812
VL - 74
SP - 134
EP - 139
JO - Addictive Behaviors
JF - Addictive Behaviors
SN - 0306-4603
ER -
