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Association among different measures of alcohol use across adolescence and emerging adulthood
Author(s) -
Thompson Kara,
Stockwell Tim,
Leadbeater Bonnie,
Homel Jacqueline
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
addiction
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.424
H-Index - 193
eISSN - 1360-0443
pISSN - 0965-2140
DOI - 10.1111/add.12499
Subject(s) - demography , longitudinal study , young adult , alcohol , medicine , adolescent health , psychology , gerontology , biochemistry , chemistry , nursing , pathology , sociology
Background and Aims The use of alterative alcohol indices in developmental research may generate conflicting findings in the literature. This study examined the longitudinal associations among four indices of alcohol involvement from ages 15 to 25 years and examined their concurrent associations with alcohol‐related problems in emerging adulthood. Design Data are from the V ictoria H ealthy Y outh S urvey, a five‐wave multi‐cohort study conducted biennially in V ictoria, C anada between 2003 and 2011. Setting and Participants This study included a subsample of 637 randomly recruited C anadian adolescents, aged 15–25 years. Measurements Four indices of alcohol use were compared using multivariate piecewise growth modeling: frequency, usual quantity, heavy episodic drinking and volume. Findings All indices increased on average from ages 15 to 21, peaked at approximately age 21, and gradually declined from ages 21 to 25. Levels of use at age 21 were highly correlated across indices ( r = 0.63–0.94, P < 0.001), but correlations among rates of change varied between pairs of indices. Heavy episodic drinking and volume had the strongest correlations over time ( r = 0.64–0.81, P < 0.001) and accounted for the greatest variance in alcohol use disorder symptoms ( R 2 = 0.35) and social and health consequences ( R 2 = 16) in emerging adulthood. Frequency and quantity had the weakest associations during adolescence ( r = 0.49, P = 0.001) and were uncorrelated during emerging adulthood ( r = 0.23, P = 0.09). Conclusions Among C anadian youth aged 15–25 years, measures of heavy episodic drinking and volume are the most strongly correlated over time and account for greater variance in alcohol‐related problems in emerging adulthood than either frequency or quantity alone.