title: Similarities and differences in alcohol trajectories: Testing the catch-up effect among biracial black subgroups.
abstract: Using National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent and Adult Health (Add Health) data, we examine the alcohol-use trajectories of monoracial Black youth and biracial Black-White, Black-Hispanic, and Black-American Indian youth to assess how their trajectories differ from the alcohol-use trajectories of White youth over time. The sample consists of 9421 adolescents and young adults who self-identified as White, Black, Black-American Indian, Black-Hispanic, or Black-White. Study hypotheses are tested using latent growth curve modeling. Results indicate that a catch-up effect exists, but only for Black-American Indians whose alcohol-use rates approach the higher rates of Whites at age 29. Black-American Indians face particularly high risk of problematic drinking over the life course. Additional research is needed to understand causal factors of alcohol-use among biracial individuals particularly Black-American Indians who may be at higher risk for alcohol misuse.
authors.affiliation: School of Social Work, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, , 325 Pittsboro Street, CB 3550, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, United States. Electronic address: ttclark@email.unc.edu.
authors.forename: Trenette Clark
authors.initials: TC
authors.lastname: Goings
authors.affiliation: Department of Biostatistics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 135 Dauer Drive, 3101 McGavran-Greenberg Hall, CB 7420, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, United States. Electronic address: shidalgo@email.unc.edu.
authors.forename: Sebastian J Teran
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Hidalgo
authors.affiliation: School of Social Work, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, , 325 Pittsboro Street, CB 3550, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, United States. Electronic address: pmcgover@live.unc.edu.
authors.forename: Tricia
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: McGovern
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001741:Black or African American / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D000367:Age Factors; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000453:epidemiology*; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000453:epidemiology*; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006306:Health Surveys / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D007198:Indians, North American / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D012306:Risk; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Adolescent; Adult; Binge drinking; Heavy episodic drinking; Mixed-race; Multiracial