A latent profile analysis of drinking patterns among nonstudent emerging adults

Abstract

Research indicates that nonstudent emerging adults, as compared to their college-attending peers, are at higher risk for experiencing alcohol-related problems, including alcohol use disorders. The present study sought to extend the limited research on nonstudent drinking by (1) identifying sub-groups of nonstudent drinkers based on their drinking patterns and (2) determining the extent to which social-cognitive between-person factors related to drinking (i.e., social expectancies, perceived drinking norms, social drinking motivations) distinguish these sub-groups. Participants were 195 (65.1% men) nonstudent emerging adult heavy episodic drinkers recruited from the community. Mean age was 21.88 (SD = 2.08) years and 45.4% were unemployed. Latent profile analysis identified two classes based on drinking across 30 days. The “moderate drinkers” group (n = 143; 73.3%) reported consuming 10–11 drinks weekly and drinking two to three times per week, on average. The “heavy drinkers” class (n = 52; 26.7%) reported consuming 42–43 drinks weekly and drinking six to seven days per week. Both groups exhibited a cyclic pattern of drinking whereby weekday drinking was lower, with increases on the weekend; the heavy drinkers class had stronger weekend increases starting earlier. Heavy drinkers reported greater volume, frequency, and problematic drinking behaviors, as compared to the moderate drinkers. The heavy drinkers class also endorsed stronger social motives and perceived their peers to drink more. The present study offered unique insights into nonstudent emerging adult drinking patterns by identifying sub-populations of drinkers based on their past 30-day use. Knowledge gained from this study could aide in tailoring existing alcohol interventions to nonstudents to reduce alcohol-related harms.

Insomnia moderates the association between alcohol use and consequences among young adult veterans

“…Possible total scores ranged from 0 to 24. This measure has been used widely in studies of young adult drinking behavior, in college student (Merrill, Read, & Barnett, 2013), non-student (Lau-Barraco, Braitman, Stamates, & Linden-Carmichael, 2016), and military samples (Miller, Brett, et al, 2016; Pedersen, Parast, et al, 2017). Internal consistency in this sample was high (α = .94).…”

Drinking Patterns of College- and Non-College-Attending Young Adults: Is High-Intensity Drinking Only a College Phenomenon?

“…Such unique classes can then be compared on predictors or outcomes of class membership to detect individual characteristics, such as those receiving post-secondary education, associated with membership in a particular drinking class. Prior research has used LCA or similar techniques to illuminate drinking patterns in national samples of emerging adults over time (Auerbach & Collins, 2006), week-level drinking behavior characteristics among college students (Fairlie, Maggs, & Lanza, 2016), and past 30-day drinking among non-students (Lau-Barraco, Braitman, Stamates, & Linden-Carmichael, 2016). Comparisons in drinking classes between college-attending and non-college-attending young adults have received less attention.…”

A Daily Diary Study of Drinking and Nondrinking Days in Nonstudent Alcohol Users

“…To our knowledge, there has only been one prior investigation examining the drinking behavior of nonstudents utilizing a daily diary approach (Patrick, Yeomans-Maldonado, & Griffin, 2016); however, this study was restricted only to recent high school graduates, and thus, findings regarding generalizability to other nonstudents remain limited. While there have been a handful of investigations of daily drinking patterns with noncollege populations (e.g., Goldman, Greenbaum, Darkes, Brandon, & Del Boca, 2011; Lau-Barraco, Braitman, Linden-Carmichael, & Stamates, 2016; Lau-Barraco, Braitman, Stamates & Linden-Carmichael, 2016a, 2016b; Reich, Cummings, Greenbaum, Moltisant, & Goldman, 2015), these investigations used a retrospective method via the timeline follow-back (TLFB) procedure, which has been shown to yield less accurate reports of drinking than daily approaches (Carney, Tennen, Affleck, Del Boca, & Kranzler, 1998). Also, these studies focused only on days when drinking occurred without considering days when drinking did not occur.…”