THE INFLUENCE OF CHANGES IN MARITAL-STATUS ON DEVELOPMENTAL TRAJECTORIES OF ALCOHOL-USE IN YOUNG-ADULTS

Objective. Multiple group latent curve analysis was used to assess the impact of changes in marital status on alcohol use trajectories in yo ung adults and to test if these effects varied across ethnicity and ge nder. Method: Four years of data were obtained from a sample of young adults (N = 4,052; 54% male) drawn from the National Longitudinal Surv ey of Youth. Alcohol use and marital status were assessed once per yea r and covariates included age, gender, education and ethnicity. Result s: Latent curve models indicated that there was an overall nonlinear n egative alcohol use trajectory across the four time points and that be coming married was reliably associated with an added down-turn to this trajectory. Multiple group models indicated that there was an interac tion between ethnicity and marital status in the prediction of alcohol growth trajectories, but there was no interaction with gender. Conclu sions: Becoming married for the first time exerted a unique effect on the overall developmental trajectory of alcohol use over time. This ef fect held for both ethnic groups but was reliably stronger for white c ompared to black respondents. This interaction may be attributable to lower levels of alcohol use reported by black respondents, or may be r elated to individual differences in reactivity to social influences by blacks relative to whites.