The study involved data from 478 adults recruited as first-year college students who were assessed seven times through early adulthood (ages 18–35); half reported a family history of AUD. Investigators applied a novel statistical technique for identifying age-related shifts in young adults’ alcohol use and the changing factors that may influence it. Based on that analysis, they identified distinct periods of change in alcohol use during the college years (18–21), when the participants underwent four annual assessments, and the post-college years (21–35), involving three more assessments. At each evaluation the participants filled out questionnaires on the quantity and frequency of drinks they typically consumed, their experiences with heavy drinking including symptoms of AUD, and their impulsivity risk factors (lack of planning, sensation seeking, and the rewards they anticipated from alcohol). The researchers used further statistical analysis to examine whether changes in participants’ impulsivity risk factors are associated with changes in alcohol consumption during the two developmental periods.
During the college years, the participants reported changes in alcohol behavior that largely correlated with their evolving risk factors. This was especially notable for impulsivity. Lack of planning correlated with sensation seeking, and changes in these factors were associated with changes in heavy drinking from ages 18-21. Steeper increases in anticipated rewards from drinking correlated with steeper rises in alcohol use. During the post-college years, lack of planning and sensation seeking diverged, and the correlation between these traits and alcohol behavior weakened. That said, impulsivity traits remained associated with heavy drinking. Steeper decreases in the perceived rewards of drinking were associated with steeper declines in alcohol use. Across both developmental periods, changes in sensation seeking were related to evolving AUD symptoms, though lack of planning was not.
The study points to the value of exploring developmental risk factors across distinct life stages, the researchers say. They identified sensation seeking and the perceived rewards of drinking as promising targets for interventions through the college and post-college years. Ongoing research involving diverse population samples, environments, and statistical modeling is recommended.
Delineating developmental periods in adulthood suggests age-related shifts in the correlates of alcohol use and problems. J. Ellingson, A. Littlefield, P. Wood, K Sher. (pp xxx)
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