Multiple-Group Latent Transition Model for the Analysis of Sequential Patterns of Early-Onset Drinking Behaviors among U.S. Adolescents

Abstract

We investigate the latent stage-sequential patterns of drinking behaviors of U.S. adolescents who have started to drink by age 14 years (seven years before the legal drinking age). A multiple-group latent transition analysis(LTA) with logistic regression is employed to identify the subsequent patterns of drinking behaviors among early-onset drinkers. A sample of 1407 early-onset adolescents from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth(NLSY97) is analyzed using maximum-likelihood estimation. The analysis demonstrates that early-onset adolescents' drinking behaviors can be represented by four latent classes and their prevalence and transition are influenced by demographic factors of gender, age, and race.