title: Drinking to Cope: a Latent Class Analysis of Coping Motives for Alcohol Use in a Large Cohort of Adolescents.
abstract: Alcohol consumption during adolescence is widespread, although there is considerable variation in patterns of use. The aim of this study was to identify patterns of coping-motivated alcohol use in a UK birth cohort and examine individual and family characteristics associated with the resulting drinker profiles. At age 17, participants (n = 3957; 56 % female) reported their alcohol and drug use, internalising symptoms and use of alcohol to cope with a range of emotions. Socio-demographic data were collected via maternal report. Latent class analysis identified drinker subtypes based on the coping motives reported. Association between these profiles and socio-demographic characteristics and internalising disorders was examined. The vast majority (92 %) of adolescents reported alcohol consumption in the past year, and 26 % of those drank weekly or more often. Four distinct motive profiles were identified. These profiles were associated with different socio-demographic characteristics: adolescents from higher socio-economic backgrounds drank primarily for increased confidence, whereas adolescents from low socio-economic backgrounds were more likely to drink to cope with low mood. Adolescents with an anxiety or depressive disorder were six times more likely to fall within the high-risk subtype, characterised by a generalised pattern of drinking to cope with emotions across the board. Coping motives for drinking vary with individual and family factors. Adolescents from low versus high socio-economic backgrounds were characterised by distinct drinking profiles; thus, prevention messages may need to be tailored accordingly. Internalising disorders were strongly associated with a high-risk profile of coping-motivated drinking.
authors.affiliation: NHMRC Centre of Research Excellence in Mental Health and Substance Use, National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia. l.stapinski@unsw.edu.au.|School of Social and Community Medicine, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK. l.stapinski@unsw.edu.au.
authors.forename: Lexine A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Stapinski
authors.affiliation: Virginia Institute for Psychiatric and Behavioral Genetics, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, USA.
authors.forename: Alexis C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Edwards
authors.affiliation: School of Social and Community Medicine, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK.
authors.forename: Matthew
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hickman
authors.affiliation: Department of Population Health, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK.
authors.forename: Ricardo
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Araya
authors.affiliation: NHMRC Centre of Research Excellence in Mental Health and Substance Use, National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia.
authors.forename: Maree
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Teesson
authors.affiliation: NHMRC Centre of Research Excellence in Mental Health and Substance Use, National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia.
authors.forename: Nicola C
authors.initials: NC
authors.lastname: Newton
authors.affiliation: Virginia Institute for Psychiatric and Behavioral Genetics, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, USA.
authors.forename: Kenneth S
authors.initials: KS
authors.lastname: Kendler
authors.affiliation: School of Social and Community Medicine, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK.
authors.forename: Jon
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Heron
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000293:Adolescent; D000294:Adolescent Behavior; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology*; D001007:Anxiety; D003863:Depression; D006801:Humans; D009042:Motivation; D016487:Parenting; D006113:United Kingdom / Q000453:epidemiology
keywords: Alcohol; Anxiety; Depression; Drinking motives; Drinking to cope