Alcohol Use Trajectories Among Native American and Non-Native American Youth: Patterns and Covariates Across Middle Adolescence

Introduction: Despite recent advances in prevention and implementation science, substance use related risks continue to be a problem for youth, and Native American (NA) youth who live in small, rural communities appear to be at particular risk. We examined data collected from high school students at regular time points across a three-year period. Substance use trajectories for NA and White youth were estimated to understand patterns and predictors of alcohol use and how these alcohol use correlates may change over time.

Method: These data were from a larger study aimed at reducing alcohol use in the Cherokee Nation. Outcomes data from two control schools were used in the analyses presented here, to eliminate possible intervention effects. The study cohort was (n=589) 9^th and 10^thgrade students surveyed four times a year over a three-year period (12 waves total). Latent growth curve modeling (LGCM) was used to identify alcohol use trajectories across the 12 waves. Forty-three percent of the sample self-identified as NA.

Results: Preliminary results found gender to be significantly related to alcohol use trajectories, with trajectories for males reflecting greater alcohol use across time. Self-reported ethnicity was not associated with alcohol use. The alcohol use trajectories for the NA and White students followed similar patterns of escalation of use across early waves that began to level off in 11^th and 12^thgrade.

Conclusions: Gender was related to patterns of alcohol use risk across adolescence in this population, but self-reported ethnic identity was not. The similarity between NA and White youth is consistent with other findings with Oklahoma Native populations, but distinct from findings in many other Native communities. Perhaps the higher degree of cultural integration and greater commonality of stressors in these rural areas attenuate differences between NA and White youth. Additional analyses are underway to examine trajectories of marijuana use and to include additional covariates.