TY - JOUR
T1 - Understanding Heterogeneity Among Simultaneous Alcohol and Marijuana Users
T2 - Latent Classes Derived From Daily Diary Data
AU - Lanza, Stephanie T.
AU - Sokolovsky, Alexander W.
AU - Linden-Carmichael, Ashley N.
AU - White, Helene R.
AU - Jackson, Kristina M.
N1 - Funding Information:
This research was supported by Grants P50-DA039838, R01 DA040880 (multiple principal investigators: Kristina M. Jackson and Helene R. White), and K08 DA048137 from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) and Grant K01-AA026854 from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA). The content is the sole responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of NIDA or the National Institutes of Health. *Correspondence may be sent to Stephanie T. Lanza at the Department of Biobehavioral Health, Edna Bennett Pierce Prevention Research Center, Pennsylvania State University, 302 Health and Human Development Building, University Park, PA 16802, or via email at: slanza@psu.edu.
Funding Information:
This research was supported by Grants P50-DA039838, R01 DA040880 (multiple principal investigators: Kristina M. Jackson and Helene R. White), and K08 DA048137 from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) and Grant K01-AA026854 from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA). The content is the sole responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of NIDA or the National Institutes of Health.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2022, Alcohol Research Documentation Inc.. All rights reserved.
PY - 2022/5
Y1 - 2022/5
N2 - Objective: Simultaneous use of alcohol and marijuana (SAM) is common among U.S. college students, but little research has examined specific substance use behaviors during SAM use episodes. This study identified latent classes of SAM users based on their SAM, alcohol-only, and marijuana-only use episodes. Method: College student SAM users (N = 284; 50.7% female; M age = 19.8 years) completed up to five surveys each day across two 4-week bursts. Latent class analysis (LCA) was used to characterize SAM users based on seven latent class indicators of use behavior. Sex was examined in relation to latent class membership. Results: Five unique classes emerged: Frequent Marijuana-Focused SAM users (21%); Frequent Alcohol-Initiating SAM users (29%); Heavy-Drinking Infrequent SAM users (12%); Moderate SAM users (29%); and Light Infrequent SAM users (9%). These groups were differentiated primarily by their frequency of SAM use, form of marijuana, whether marijuana was used on non-SAM occasions, and whether consequences were experienced. Groups differed significantly by sex. Conclusions: College student SAM users are heterogeneous with respect not only to their degree of SAM use but also in their pattern of drinking, type of marijuana use, relative focus on alcohol versus marijuana, and risk of experiencing acute negative consequences. Describing this heterogeneity is an important step toward developing interventions for different types of users.
AB - Objective: Simultaneous use of alcohol and marijuana (SAM) is common among U.S. college students, but little research has examined specific substance use behaviors during SAM use episodes. This study identified latent classes of SAM users based on their SAM, alcohol-only, and marijuana-only use episodes. Method: College student SAM users (N = 284; 50.7% female; M age = 19.8 years) completed up to five surveys each day across two 4-week bursts. Latent class analysis (LCA) was used to characterize SAM users based on seven latent class indicators of use behavior. Sex was examined in relation to latent class membership. Results: Five unique classes emerged: Frequent Marijuana-Focused SAM users (21%); Frequent Alcohol-Initiating SAM users (29%); Heavy-Drinking Infrequent SAM users (12%); Moderate SAM users (29%); and Light Infrequent SAM users (9%). These groups were differentiated primarily by their frequency of SAM use, form of marijuana, whether marijuana was used on non-SAM occasions, and whether consequences were experienced. Groups differed significantly by sex. Conclusions: College student SAM users are heterogeneous with respect not only to their degree of SAM use but also in their pattern of drinking, type of marijuana use, relative focus on alcohol versus marijuana, and risk of experiencing acute negative consequences. Describing this heterogeneity is an important step toward developing interventions for different types of users.
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U2 - 10.15288/jsad.2022.83.358
DO - 10.15288/jsad.2022.83.358
M3 - Article
C2 - 35590176
AN - SCOPUS:85130316950
SN - 1937-1888
VL - 83
SP - 358
EP - 363
JO - Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs
JF - Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs
IS - 3
ER -
