ELSA Cohort 2014: Heavy Episodic Drinking Trajectories Among Argentinean College Students

Abstract

Introduction: Heavy episodic drinking (i.e., the ingestion 4/5 standard alcohol drinks in one drinking session for women and men, respectively) is prevalent in college students. In Argentina, there is a need to progress from cross-sectional to longitudinal studies to better understand changes in alcohol use during the college years. Trajectory studies generate a progression of behavior and, by accumulating data over time, allow to identify groups that exhibit different patterns of alcohol use across time. Aim: to identify heavy episodic drinking trajectories in Argentinean college students during the first three years of college. Methodology: Sample: participants were 1749 college students (62.6% women) between 18 and 25 years old (M=19.1±1.7) who completed at least two of the 7 data collections carried out over three years. Measures: participants reported frequency of engaging in heavy episodic drinking (from less than monthly to three times a week or more) and the prevalence of several alcohol use indicators: usual quantity, usual frequency and alcohol-related negative consequences. Data analysis: Latent Class Growth Analysis (LCGA) was used to identify the pattern and number of heavy episodic drinking trajectories that best fit the data. Results: we identified five trajectories of heavy episodic drinking frequency: Heavy Stable Frequency, Moderate Frequency, Low Frequency, Infrequent and Descendent Frequency. Two of these five trajectories were relatively stable and three trajectories showed a decreasing slope over time. These trajectories were significant different in several alcohol use indicators. Conclusions: These trajectories partially coincide with those identified in studies from other cultures. In coincidence with previous studies, we identified the high and stable frequency trajectory, the low/near zero frequency trajectory, two moderate frequency trajectories and a descending frequency trajectory. Unlike previous studies, we did not find a trajectory with increasing/ascending heavy episodic drinking frequency. The latter may be related to contextual/cultural variables like differences in the age when the peak in alcohol consumption is reached, the legal minimum age to buy alcoholic beverages, and the idiosyncratic elements that characterize college life in Argentina.