Joint trajectory analysis of treated adolescents' alcohol use and symptoms over 1 year

Tammy Chung, Stephen A. Maisto, Jack R. Cornelius, Christopher S. Martin, Kristina M. Jackson

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

23 Scopus citations

Abstract

Objective: This study characterized treated adolescents' alcohol use and symptom trajectories over 1 year to describe the form of use trajectories and symptom trajectories, and the joint probability of membership in alcohol use and symptom trajectory groups. Method: 109 teens (age 14-18, 66% male, 94% white), recruited from addictions treatment, with a lifetime DSM-IV alcohol diagnosis, reported on daily alcohol use and symptoms in monthly phone contacts using the Time Line Follow-Back method. A group-based modeling method jointly estimated trajectories of use and symptoms. Results: Four alcohol use trajectories were identified: "Abstinent" (31%), Low (36%), Increasing (28%), and High Use (5%). Three alcohol symptom trajectories were identified: Very Low severity (44%), Mild (44%), and High severity (12%). The most frequent joint outcome was "Abstinent" and Very Low symptom severity (32%). Conclusions: Symptom severity was moderately related to alcohol use pattern over 1 year. Findings have implications for moving beyond relapse defined as a return to "any use" to consideration of treatment outcome in terms of a broader pattern of alcohol use and problems.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)1690-1701
Number of pages12
JournalAddictive Behaviors
Volume30
Issue number9
DOIs
StatePublished - Oct 2005

Keywords

  • Adolescent
  • Alcohol
  • Course
  • DSM-IV

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Medicine (miscellaneous)
  • Clinical Psychology
  • Toxicology
  • Psychiatry and Mental health

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