Abstract
The aim of this study was to empirically identify different profiles of Spanish university alumni, based on their alcohol use over 9 years, and to further characterize them. A cohort study was carried out between 2005 and 2015 among university students (Compostela Cohort-Spain; n2015 = 415). Alcohol consumption was measured using the Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test (AUDIT). A two-stage cluster analysis, based on their AUDIT total scores was carried out separately for males and females. The further characterization of every profile was based on demographic data, age at onset of alcohol use, positive alcohol-related expectancies, tobacco and cannabis use, as well as their answers to some European Addiction Severity Index items. Five different clusters were identified: Low users (29.2%), Moderated users (37.2%), At-risk users (14.2%), Decreasing users (13.2%) and Large users (6.2%) for females, and Low users (34.4%), At-risk users (25.6%), High-risk users (15.6%), Decreasing users (14.4%) and Large users (10.0%) for males. Being a cannabis user or a smoker was positively associated to those more hazardous clusters in both genders. Regarding females, significant differences in the age of onset and high positive expectancies were found. However, there were few significant differences among the groups in relation to their employment status and social relations. The results reveal the existence of different typologies of alcohol users among university alumni, with differences among males and females. Modifying positive expectancies, limiting access to alcohol at a young age, and reducing uses of other substances uses are key to promote healthier alcohol use profiles and to prevent hazardous uses.
Highlights
Alcohol use among university students has been a subject of vast research (Mota et al, 2010; Johnston et al, 2011; White and Hingson, 2013)
The characteristics of the initial sample and the follow-up samples in both genders were analyzed in relation to maternal educational level, residence, age of onset of use of alcohol, positive expectations about alcohol, Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test (AUDIT) total score, cannabis consumption and tobacco consumption
The major finding of this study was the characterization of five different clusters of university alumni based on their pattern of alcohol use at a 9-year follow-up, separately for females (Low users, Moderated users, At-risk users, Decreasing users and Large users) and males (Low users, At-risk users, High-risk users, Decreasing users and Large users)
Summary
Alcohol use among university students has been a subject of vast research (Mota et al, 2010; Johnston et al, 2011; White and Hingson, 2013). O’Malley and Johnston (2002) found rates around 70% of alcohol use in the last 30 days prevalence among American college students, and Moure-Rodríguez et al (2014) found 7.8% of abstainers among college male students at 20 years old and 11.8% of abstainers among the female ones. Certain risk patterns of alcohol consumption, such as binge drinking are increasing among young people around the world (Jernigan, 2001). This pattern of alcohol consumption is characterized by the intake of large amounts of alcohol in a short period of time, reaching blood alcohol concentrations of 0.8 g/l or greater (National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, 2016). It is worth mentioning that the literature suggests that there are aspects of the college environment that tend to support alcohol drinking (O’Malley and Johnston, 2002), and that high-frequency drinking patterns that develop during university appear to persist several years post-graduation (Arria et al, 2016)
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