title: Typology of alcohol mixed with energy drink consumers: motivations for use.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Previous research on alcohol mixed with energy drinks (AmED) has shown that use is typically driven by hedonistic, social, functional, and intoxication-related motives, with differential associations with alcohol-related harm across these constructs. There has been no research looking at whether there are subgroups of consumers based on patterns of motivations. Consequently, the aims were to determine the typology of motivations for AmED use among a community sample and to identify correlates of subgroup membership. In addition, we aimed to determine whether this structure of motivations applied to a university student sample.
  
  
  METHODS
  Data were used from an Australian community sample (n = 731) and an Australian university student sample (n = 594) who were identified as AmED consumers when completing an online survey about their alcohol and ED use. Participants reported their level of agreement with 14 motivations for AmED use; latent classes of AmED consumers were identified based on patterns of motivation endorsement using latent class analysis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A 4-class model was selected using data from the community sample: (i) taste consumers (31%): endorsed pleasurable taste; (ii) energy-seeking consumers (24%): endorsed functional and taste motives; (iii) hedonistic consumers (33%): endorse pleasure and sensation-seeking motives, as well as functional and taste motives; and (iv) intoxication-related consumers (12%): endorsed motives related to feeling in control of intoxication, as well as hedonistic, functional, and taste motives. The consumer subgroups typically did not differ on demographics, other drug use, alcohol and ED use, and AmED risk taking. The patterns of motivations for the 4-class model were similar for the university student sample.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study indicated the existence of 4 subgroups of AmED consumers based on their patterns of motivations for AmED use consistently structured across the community and university student sample. These findings lend support to the growing conceptualization of AmED consumers as a heterogeneous group in regard to motivations for use, with a hierarchical and cumulative class order in regard to the number of types of motivation for AmED use. Prospective research may endeavor to link session-specific motives and outcomes, as it is apparent that primary consumption motives may be fluid between sessions.
authors.affiliation: School of Medicine (Psychology), University of Tasmania, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia.
authors.forename: Amy
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Peacock
authors.affiliation: School of Psychology, Deakin University, Geelong, Victoria, Australia.
authors.forename: Nicolas
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Droste
authors.affiliation: Turning Point, Eastern Health, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.|School of Population and Global Health (Centre for Health Equity), University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
authors.forename: Amy
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Pennay
authors.affiliation: School of Psychology, Deakin University, Geelong, Victoria, Australia.
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Miller
authors.affiliation: Turning Point, Eastern Health, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.|Eastern Health Clinical School, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
authors.forename: Dan I
authors.initials: DI
authors.lastname: Lubman
authors.affiliation: School of Medicine (Psychology), University of Tasmania, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia.
authors.forename: Raimondo
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Bruno
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000434:Alcoholic Beverages / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D001315:Australia; D003258:Consumer Behavior / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D061215:Energy Drinks / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D015233:Models, Statistical; D009042:Motivation; D012111:Residence Characteristics; D013334:Students / Q000523:psychology*; D014495:Universities; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Alcohol; Caffeine; Energy Drink; Latent Class Analysis; Motive; Risk