Drinking Trajectories Through Young Adulthood

描述（由申请人提供）：本研究的目的是确定从青春期到青年期酒精使用和滥用模式的饮酒轨迹，并确定哪些个人和人际因素与这些不同的途径有不同的联系。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在25岁左右之前就开始了，如果饮酒问题随着时间的推移而减少，那么这种成熟将在30岁之前发生。三项具体目标将指导这项调查：a)确定具有从青春期到青年期这一年龄段特征的酒精使用轨迹；B)检查儿童期危险因素与从青春期到青年期的酒精使用过程之间的关系；c)检查每个轨迹与成人转变和心理社会结果的关系。作为一项正在进行的主要酒精研究项目的一部分，将从大约400名23至26岁的年轻人中获得终生饮酒史。使用潜在类别分析法对数据进行分析，通过两种方法建立饮酒类别：1)在整个饮酒史中存在/不存在酒精滥用/依赖的模式；2)每年的症状背书模式。将用第一类数据检查儿童时期的危险因素和每条轨迹的成人相关因素；从一年到另一年的饮酒类转变的预测因素将在第二年进行检查。预计确定成人相关因素以及儿童期饮酒轨迹的远端危险因素将加强对酒精过程的了解并促进干预。

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.