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. 2020 Jul-Sep;19(3):371-387.
doi: 10.1080/15332640.2018.1520174. Epub 2018 Oct 22.

Racial/ethnic differences in the time-varying association between alcohol expectancies and drinking during the transition from childhood to adolescence

Devin E Banks  1 , Micah T Faidley  1 , Gregory T Smith  2 , Tamika C B Zapolski  1
Affiliations

Racial/ethnic differences in the time-varying association between alcohol expectancies and drinking during the transition from childhood to adolescence

Devin E Banks et al. J Ethn Subst Abuse. 2020 Jul-Sep.

Abstract

Alcohol expectancies are important determinants of adolescent drinking, but this relationship may differ based on race/ethnicity. This study used time-varying effect modeling to examine racial/ethnic differences in positive and negative alcohol expectancies and their relationship with drinking among White, African American, and Hispanic youth. Youth reported alcohol expectancies and drinking frequency from 5th grade to 10th grade. African Americans initially endorsed higher positive alcohol expectancies than Whites, but the relationship with drinking was stronger among Whites. Hispanic youth reported slightly higher negative alcohol expectancies in high school, but the relationship between negative expectancies and alcohol use was comparable across groups. The effect of expectancies on alcohol use outcomes may be more robust for Whites, which warrants investigation of risk factors for minority youth.

Keywords: Alcohol expectancies; adolescent; alcohol; race and ethnicity; time-varying effect model.

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Conflict of interest statement

Disclosure Statement

The authors have no conflict of interest to disclose.

Figures

Fig 1.
Fig 1.
The value of each domain of alcohol expectancies from grades 5–10 as estimated by an intercept-only TVEM. S represents the estimate during the spring of that grade and F represents the estimate during the fall of that grade. Gray lines indicate 95% confidence intervals. All estimates control for gender, and drinking status.
Fig 2.
Fig 2.
The value of each domain of alcohol expectancies from grades 5–10 as estimated by an intercept-only TVEM, stratified by race/ethnicity. S represents the estimate during the spring of that grade and F represents the estimate during the fall of that grade. Gray lines indicate 95% confidence intervals. All estimates control for gender, and drinking status.
Fig 3.
Fig 3.
The estimated time-varying effect of positive (A) and negative (B) alcohol expectancies on drinking status from grades 5–10. S represents the estimate during the spring of that grade and F represents the estimate during the fall of that grade. Gray lines indicate 95% confidence intervals. All estimates control for gender, pubertal status, and drinking status.
Fig 4.
Fig 4.
The estimated time-varying effect of each domain of alcohol expectancies on drinking status from grades 5–10 stratified by race. S represents the estimate during the spring of that grade and F represents the estimate during the fall of that grade. Gray lines indicate 95% confidence intervals. All estimates control for gender, pubertal status, and drinking status.
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