Typologies of Alcohol Use in White and African American Adolescent Girls

• NCJ Number: 228322
• Journal: Substance Use and Misuse Volume: 44 Issue: 8 Dated: 2009 Pages: 1121-1141
• Author(s): Sarah Dauber; Aaron Hogue; James F. Paulson; Jenn A. Leiferman
• Date Published: 2009
• Length: 21 pages
• Grant Number(s): MH079044-01; P01-HD31921
• Sponsoring Agency: National Institute of Mental Health; National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD)
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This study examined typologies of alcohol use among White and African-American adolescent girls.

Abstract

Results found differences in the number and characteristics of subtypes of alcohol users for White and African-American adolescent girls, supporting the need for race-specific typologies of adolescent drinkers. A four-group typology was found for White girls, including abstainers, experimenters, moderate drinkers, and heavy drinkers. For African-American girls, only three subtypes emerged: abstainers, experimenters, and problem drinkers. Differences among the subtypes on externalizing and internalizing behaviors were also found, with more problematic subtypes exhibiting higher rates of these problems in both racial groups. Results suggest that for both White and African-American adolescent girls, the most problematic alcohol users were distinguished largely by the presence of co-occurring externalizing problems, particularly delinquency while rates of depressive symptoms were low in general. Limitations and implications of the research are discussed in detail. Data were collected from 2,948 White and African-American adolescent girls using data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health. Tables, glossary, and references