Patterns and correlates of binge drinking trajectories from early adolescence to young adulthood

Health Psychol. 2003 Jan;22(1):79-87. doi: 10.1037//0278-6133.22.1.79.

Abstract

Latent growth mixture modeling was used to identify developmental trajectories (described in terms of demographics, exposure and resistance to a pro-drug environment, and deviant behavior) of binge drinking among 5,694 individuals who completed 6 surveys from ages 13 to 23 years: nonbingers (32%); moderate stables (37%), who had consistently low levels of bingeing; steady increasers (16%), who increased from the lowest to highest level of bingeing; adolescent bingers (9%), whose early rise in bingeing was followed by a decrease to a moderate level; and early highs (6%), who decreased from the highest level of bingeing to a moderate level. Results show considerable diversity in binge drinking patterns and the correlates of bingeing across trajectory classes.

Publication types

  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Adolescent Behavior*
  • Adult
  • Alcohol Drinking / psychology*
  • Alcoholism / psychology
  • Demography
  • Environment
  • Female
  • Health Surveys
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Models, Psychological*
  • Prognosis