title: Developmental trajectories of alcohol use among monoracial and biracial Black adolescents and adults.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The present study investigates developmental trajectories of alcohol use from early adolescence to adulthood by age and race/ethnicity among White, Black, Black-American Indian, Black-Hispanic, and Black-White individuals and associated sociodemograhphic correlates.
  
  
  METHODS
  We used a subsample of nationally representative data obtained from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health). The analytic sample consisted of 15,278 individuals in Wave 1 (ages 11 to 21 years). The sample consists of adolescents who were in Grades 7-12 at wave one and who were followed across four waves of data collection into adulthood. Respondents could report more than one race/ethnicity.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We find distinct alcohol trajectories among monoracial and biracial/ethnic Blacks with all groups showing a cross-over or catch-up effect. Black-White adults demonstrated a cross-over effect by surpassing the alcohol drinking rates of Whites in adulthood, Black-American Indians showed a within-group catch-up effect by surpassing the alcohol drinking rates of monoracial and biracial/ethnic Blacks in adulthood, and monoracial Blacks were most likely to be non-drinkers in adulthood. We also show gender, socioeconomic status, and household structure differences in impact on alcohol use among monoracial and biracial/ethnic Blacks.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Significant heterogeneity is observed regarding alcohol trajectories between monoracial and biracial/ethnic Blacks.
authors.affiliation: School of Social Work, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA. ttclark@email.unc.edu
authors.forename: Trenette T
authors.initials: TT
authors.lastname: Clark
authors.forename: Maya
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Corneille
authors.forename: Emanuel
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Coman
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001741:Black or African American / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D000367:Age Factors; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000208:ethnology; D002648:Child; D003625:Data Collection; D005191:Family Characteristics; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D044469:Racial Groups / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012737:Sex Factors; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D044465:White People / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D055815:Young Adult