Trajectories of Depression and Alcohol Use in Black and White Adolescent Girls

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DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The proposed study aims to examine trajectories of depressive symptoms and alcohol use in White and African American adolescent girls from the early adolescent years through the transition to adulthood. This study will also examine characteristics of the parent-adolescent relationship as potential predictors of different trajectories. The specific aims of the study are to 1) examine race-specific developmental trajectories of the comorbidity of depression and substance use in adolescent girls from the early high school years through the transition to adulthood; and 2) determine whether family relationship variables predict particular trajectories of substance use and depression for adolescent girls of different racial backgrounds. To accomplish this, we will use data from the National Longitudinal Studies of Adolescent Health, a nationally representative dataset of adolescents that includes a variety of measures of frequency and severity of alcohol use, as well as an abridged version of the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale, a widely used and well-validated measure of depressive symptoms. The dataset also includes a large number of measures of different aspects of the parent-adolescent relationship, as well as measures of a large number of potential covariates, including demographic and structural variables, peer relationships, school performance, delinquency and antisocial behavior, and self-esteem and personality variables. Data analyses will involve the use of a newly-developed approach for analyzing longitudinal data, which will allow us to group participants into distinct clusters based on their trajectories of depression and alcohol use over time, and to examine family variables as predictors of trajectory group membership. These analyses will be complemented by a more traditional hierarchical linear modeling approach. The findings of this study will increase our understanding of individual differences in patterns of depressive symptoms and alcohol use and their co-occurrence in White and African American adolescent girls. The study will also provide information on race differences in family-level risk factors for different trajectories of depression and alcohol use. Ultimately, findings will demonstrate a broader public health value in their utility in informing the design of culturally-sensitive prevention programs for depression and alcohol use in adolescent girls. The broad goals of the project are consistent with reducing mental health problems and substance use in adolescents.