title: Race/ethnicity and sex differences in progression from drinking initiation to the development of alcohol dependence.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Prior studies on the course of alcohol use disorders have reported a "telescoping" effect with women progressing from drinking initiation to alcohol dependence faster than men. However, there is a paucity of population-based analyses that have examined progression to alcohol dependence comparing race/ethnicity subgroups, and little is known about whether the telescoping effect for women varies by race/ethnicity. We examined whether a telescoping effect is present in the general population comparing race/ethnicity subgroups and comparing men and women stratified by race.
  
  
  METHODS
  This study uses data from Wave I of the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions (NESARC) to compare a nationally representative sample of White, Black and Hispanic adults 18-44 years of age (n=21,106). Time to event analyses compare the risk of alcohol initiation, onset of alcohol dependence, and the transition from initial use to onset of alcohol dependence in the three race/ethnicity groups and for males and females in each race/ethnicity group.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Whites were younger than Blacks and Hispanics of the same sex at drinking onset and progressed to alcohol dependence at a faster rate than both Blacks and Hispanics. In addition, we found no evidence of a telescoping effect in women for any race/ethnicity group.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The present study illustrates differences in the course of transition from alcohol initiation to the development of dependence by race/ethnicity but not sex. Our findings highlight the need for additional study of factors resulting in race/ethnicity differences in order to inform culturally relevant prevention and intervention initiatives.
authors.affiliation: Division of General Internal Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, 1830 East Monument Street, Room 8047a, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA. aalvanz1@jhmi.edu
authors.forename: Anika A H
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Alvanzo
authors.forename: Carla L
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Storr
authors.forename: Lareina
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: La Flair
authors.forename: Kerry M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Green
authors.forename: Fernando A
authors.initials: FA
authors.lastname: Wagner
authors.forename: Rosa M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Crum
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001741:Black or African American / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D017668:Age of Onset; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000208:ethnology*; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000208:ethnology*; D018450:Disease Progression; D005260:Female; D006630:Hispanic or Latino / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D015995:Prevalence; D012727:Sex Characteristics; D012737:Sex Factors; D044465:White People / Q000706:statistics & numerical data