Citation

Barton AW, Brody GH, Zapolski TCB, Goings TC, Kogan SM, Windle M, Yu T. Addiction 2018; 113(8): 1439-1449.

Affiliation

Center for Family Research, University of Georgia, 1095 College Station Road, Athens, Georgia, 30602-4527.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2018, John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

10.1111/add.14200

PMID

29453937

Abstract

AIMS: To inform research on the etiology and prevention of substance use among rural African American youth by (a) identifying developmental trajectory classes of cannabis use and heavy drinking across adolescence and young adulthood, and (b) examining associations between trajectory class membership and multi-level assessments of risk factors.

DESIGN: A prospective study spanning nine years with assessments of cannabis use and heavy drinking, the catecholamines epinephrine and norepinephrine, perceived stress, and psychosocial risk factors. SETTING: Rural communities in the southeastern United States. PARTICIPANTS: African American youth (N = 518). MEASUREMENTS: Participants were assessed for cannabis use and heavy drinking at seven assessments beginning at 16 years of age and continuing to 25 years of age. At age 19, participants provided overnight urine voids that were assayed for catecholamines, a biological marker of life stress resulting from sympathetic nervous system activation. At ages 16 and 19, participants provided information on malleable psychosocial risk factors.

FINDINGS: Latent class growth models revealed three distinct trajectory classes for cannabis use and for heavy drinking. Higher levels of circulating stress hormones and perceived stress were associated with classes reporting greater substance use over time (all ps <.05). A composite of selected risk factors discriminated class membership (all ps <.05). Trajectory classes characterized by rapid usage increases in early adulthood exhibited the greatest increase in deviant peer affiliations between ages 16 and 19.

CONCLUSIONS: Rural African American youths' cannabis use and heavy drinking across adolescence and young adulthood demonstrate distinct developmental courses; a small number of risk factors and measures of biological and perceived stress prognostically differentiate class membership. Variability over time in these measures, specifically an increase in deviant peer affiliation, may help to account for steep increases in young adulthood.

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Language: en

Keywords

African American; Cannabis; heavy drinking; latent class growth modeling; risk factors; stress