Drinking Trajectories Through Young Adulthood

描述(申请人提供)：这项研究的目的是确定从青春期到青年时期饮酒和滥用酒精的模式的特征，并确定哪些个人和人际因素与这些不同的途径有不同的关联。这个年龄范围是根据现有的文献选择的，这些文献表明，大多数与酒精有关的问题都是在25岁左右开始的，如果饮酒问题随着时间的推移而减少，这种成熟的饮酒将发生在30岁之前。这项调查将以三个具体目标为指导：(A)确定从青春期到青春期的酒精使用轨迹；(B)检查童年风险因素与从青春期到青春期的酒精使用过程之间的关系；以及(C)检查每个轨迹与成人转变和心理社会结果的关系。作为正在进行的一项重大酒精研究项目的一部分，将从大约400名23岁至26岁的年轻人中获得终身饮酒史。将使用潜在类别分析对数据进行分析，以使用两种方法建立饮酒类别：1)在整个饮酒史过程中存在/不存在酗酒/依赖的模式；2)每年的症状认可模式。第一类数据将检验儿童时期的风险因素和每个轨迹的成人相关性；第二类数据将检验饮酒类别从一年到另一年的过渡预测因素。预计，除了儿童饮酒轨迹的更远端风险因素外，识别成人相关因素将加强对酒精过程的理解，并促进干预。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The purpose of this study is to identify drinking trajectories that characterize patterns of alcohol use and abuse from adolescence to young adulthood and to determine what individual and interpersonal factors are differentially associated with these various pathways. This age range was chosen in light of the extant literature indicating that the majority of alcohol-related problems begin prior to the mid-twenties and if problem drinking is to abate over time, such maturing out will occur prior to 30 years of age. Three specific aims will guide this inquiry: a) to identify alcohol use trajectories that characterize the age range from adolescence to young adulthood; b) to examine the relationship between childhood risk factors and the course of alcohol use from adolescence to young adulthood; and c) to examine the association of each trajectory with adult transitions and psychosocial outcomes. As part of a major ongoing alcohol research project, lifetime drinking histories will be obtained from approximately 400 young adults 23 to 26 years of age. The data will be analyzed using Latent Class Analysis to establish drinking classes using two methods: 1) patterns of presence/absence of alcohol abuse/dependence over the full course of drinking history; 2) patterns of symptom endorsement each year. Childhood risk factors and adult correlates of each trajectory will be examined with the first type of data; predictors of transitions in drinking class from one year to another will be examined with the second. It is anticipated that identifying adult correlates, in addition to more distal childhood risk factors of drinking trajectories, will enhance understanding of alcohol course and facilitate interventions.