Alcohol Use Among African American and White Siblings: A Multilevel Latent Growth Modeling Approach

Abstract

This study examined alcohol use and correlates of alcohol use among African American and White siblings over a 4-year period. A multiple-group multilevel latent growth model of family alcohol use across the two ethnic groups was specified which explicitly modeled the within-level and between-level covariance matrices in sibling alcohol use over time. The White sample comprised 700 siblings (292 families), and the African American sample comprised 157 siblings (59 families). Correlates of sibling alcohol use included parent income, marital status and family involvement. Results showed homogeneity in alcohol use within families, and heterogeneity across families and ethnic groups. Siblings from White families had higher average levels of alcohol use, and a greater increase in alcohol use over time than did African American siblings. The between-level effects of income, marital status, family involvement, and an interaction of family involvement with marital status, were consistent across African American and White families.