TY - JOUR
T1 - Temporal progression of alcohol dependence symptoms in the U.S. household population
T2 - Results from the National Comorbidity Survey
AU - Nelson, Christopher B.
AU - Heath, Andrew C.
AU - Kessler, Ronald C.
PY - 1998/6
Y1 - 1998/6
N2 - General population data are presented on patterns and predictors of temporal progression of alcohol dependence symptoms in the general population. The data come from the National Comorbidity Survey, a nationally representative general population survey of respondents ages 15-54. Lifetime symptom classes were estimated with latent class analysis (LCA). A 4-class LCA solution, including a 1st asymptomatic class and 3 progressively more serious symptomatic classes, was found to fit the data. Probability of initial symptom onset among drinkers was found to be highest in the 10-24 age range, to be higher among men than women, and to have increased dramatically in the past 4 decades. Age, gender, and cohort effects were less powerful in predicting symptom progression. A narrowing of the gender difference over time was due largely to a convergence in initial symptom onset among men and women ages 10-24. These results suggest that a rise in initial problems was more important than an increase in the transition from problems to dependence in accounting for the growing prevalence of alcohol dependence during the post-World War II years in the United States.
AB - General population data are presented on patterns and predictors of temporal progression of alcohol dependence symptoms in the general population. The data come from the National Comorbidity Survey, a nationally representative general population survey of respondents ages 15-54. Lifetime symptom classes were estimated with latent class analysis (LCA). A 4-class LCA solution, including a 1st asymptomatic class and 3 progressively more serious symptomatic classes, was found to fit the data. Probability of initial symptom onset among drinkers was found to be highest in the 10-24 age range, to be higher among men than women, and to have increased dramatically in the past 4 decades. Age, gender, and cohort effects were less powerful in predicting symptom progression. A narrowing of the gender difference over time was due largely to a convergence in initial symptom onset among men and women ages 10-24. These results suggest that a rise in initial problems was more important than an increase in the transition from problems to dependence in accounting for the growing prevalence of alcohol dependence during the post-World War II years in the United States.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=0031775965&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1037/0022-006X.66.3.474
DO - 10.1037/0022-006X.66.3.474
M3 - Article
C2 - 9642885
AN - SCOPUS:0031775965
SN - 0022-006X
VL - 66
SP - 474
EP - 483
JO - Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology
JF - Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology
IS - 3
ER -