STRESS, RACE AND ALCOHOL USE IN A HOUSEHOLD POPULATION

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A two-wave longitudinal survey of alcohol use, stress, and blood pressure was recently completed using a representative household sample, stratified on race and education to provide approximately equal numbers of white and black adults having low, middle, and high levels of education (1986, N- 1932; 1989, N-1616). Findings to data indicate that alcohol expectancies and motives for drinking play major moderate and mediating roles, respectively, in stress-alcohol-blood pressure relationships. Significant racial differences have also been observed. It is proposed that cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses of data from Waves 1 and 2 be continued. Wave 2 data have been available for analysis only since August, 1990, allowing little time to conduct systematic longitudinal analyses, or cross-sectional analyses of measures introduced at Wave 2. Analyses done to date provide important insights into the etiology of alcohol use/abuse and hypertension, thus underscoring the importance of continued analysis of the data set. In addition, given the breadth of the study and the complexity of the proposed structural equation analyses, a continuation is essential to adequately address a number of significant issues identified in our work so far. It is also proposed that a third household survey be conducted in 1992. Wave 1 and 2 data support a number of mediated relationships worthy of further investigation. To do this requires a three-wave panel design in which Wave 1 antecedent, Wave 2 mediator, and Wave 3 outcome variables are modeled simultaneously. A third wave would also allow a full investigation of hypothesized cyclical relationships, and an examination of two-wave longitudinal relationships for measures introduced at Wave 2. In addition to continuing cross-sectional and two-wave analyses, the data analytic plan proposes to examine three-wave panel models using structural equation modeling techniques that adjust for measurement error and allow for serially correlated error of measurement and prediction. This continuation will make a number of important contributions. It will permit the full exploitation of available data. Employing a sophisticated conceptual model, it will be the first three-wave panel study of the complex relationships among stress, alcohol use/abuse, and hypertension. Finally, the sample permits powerful comparisons of these issues according to race and gender.