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Latent Trajectory Classes for Alcohol‐Related Blackouts from Age 15 to 19 in ALSPAC
Author(s) -
Schuckit Marc A.,
Smith Tom L.,
Heron Jon,
Hickman Matthew,
Macleod John,
Munafo Marcus R.,
Kendler Kenneth S.,
Dick Danielle M.,
DaveySmith George
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
alcoholism: clinical and experimental research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.267
H-Index - 153
eISSN - 1530-0277
pISSN - 0145-6008
DOI - 10.1111/acer.12601
Subject(s) - trajectory , longitudinal study , alcohol , psychology , gerontology , medicine , mathematics , statistics , chemistry , physics , biochemistry , astronomy
Background Alcohol‐related blackouts ( ARB s) are reported by ~50% of drinkers. While much is known about the prevalence of ARB s in young adults and their cross‐sectional correlates, there are few prospective studies regarding their trajectories over time during mid‐adolescence. This paper reports latent trajectory classes of ARB s between age 15 and 19, along with predictors of those patterns. Methods Latent class growth analysis ( LCGA ) was used to evaluate the pattern of occurrence of ARB s across 4 time points for 1,402 drinking adolescents from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children ( ALSPAC ). Multinomial regression analyses evaluated age‐15 demography, substance‐related items, externalizing characteristics, and estimated peer substance use as predictors of latent class membership. Results ARBs were reported at age 15 in 30% and at age 19 in 74% of these subjects. Four latent trajectory classes were identified: Class 1 (5.1%) reported no blackouts; for Class 2 (29.5%), ARB s rapidly increased with age; for Class 3 (44.9%), blackouts slowly increased; and for Class 4 (20.5%), ARB s were consistently reported. Using Class 2 (rapid increasers) as the reference, predictors of class membership included female sex, higher drinking quantities, smoking, externalizing characteristics, and estimated peer substance involvement (pseudo R 2 = 0.22). Conclusions ARBs were common and repetitive in these young subjects, and predictors of their trajectories over time involved multiple domains representing diverse characteristics.