Differential typologies of current substance use among Black and White high-school adolescents: A latent class analysis

• Published in: Addictive behaviors 2020-07, Vol.106, p.106356-106356, Article 106356
• Main Authors: Banks, Devin E., Bello, Mariel S., Crichlow, Queenisha, Leventhal, Adam M., Barnes-Najor, Jessica V., Zapolski, Tamika C.B.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adolescent; African Americans; Alcohol Drinking; Child; Concurrent substance use; Female; Health disparities; Humans; Latent Class Analysis; Male; Marijuana Smoking; Polysubstance use; Schools; Substance use; Substance-Related Disorders - epidemiology
• ISSN: 0306-4603; 1873-6327
• DOI: 10.1016/j.addbeh.2020.106356

•African American and White youth demonstrated different profiles of substance use.•Marijuana and alcohol co-use was the most common type of use for African Americans.•Predominant alcohol use was the most common type of use for White adolescents.•African American and White youth used two or more substances at similar rates. Black and White adolescents demonstrate different prototypical profiles (i.e., typologies) of substance use, with Blacks demonstrating lower risk for concurrent use of two or more substances. Despite knowledge of these differences, typologies of adolescent substance use identified by person-centered methods, such as latent class analysis, have not characterized profiles by racial group. The current study examined typologies of substance use among Black and White youth separately using person-centered methods to identify common patterns of substance use among subjects. Data were drawn from a 5-year parent study examining adolescent health outcomes. The current study examined high-school aged White (n = 7271, 45.4% male) and Black youth (n = 1301, 40.1% male) who reported past-30-day frequency of cigarette, alcohol, marijuana, inhalant, and other drug use. Latent class analysis was used to examine substance use typologies among each group adjusting for grade and sex. Black and White youth demonstrated different typologies such that four typologies emerged among Blacks: Non-Use (87.8%), Alcohol and Marijuana Use (6.3%), Alcohol, Marijuana, and Cigarette Use (3.8%), and Frequent Polysubstance Use (2.0%). Conversely, five typologies emerged among Whites: Non-Use (73.4%), Predominant Alcohol Use (13.9%), Alcohol, Marijuana, and Cigarette Use (9.4%), Moderate Polysubstance Use (1.6%), and Frequent Polysubstance Use (1.7%). Findings suggest that Black and White youth engage in similar rates of concurrent substance use. Given that Black youth face greater risk for adverse consequences from substance use, prevention efforts are needed to prevent related health disparities related to concurrent substance use.