Background

Alcohol use, and the association between alcohol-related variables and drinking outcomes, seem to be context dependent. We employed Latent Class Analysis, a person-centered approach, to identify distinct subpopulations based on contexts of alcohol use. We also examined if the resulting classes differ in a set of alcohol-related variables that hold promise as potential targets of interventions.

Method

Argentinean college students (N = 1,083; 64% women;M age = 19.73 ± 3.95) completed an online survey that assessed alcohol outcomes and related variables [motives for substance use, protective behavioral strategies (PBS) and normative perceptions of alcohol use].

Results

Latent Class Analysis identified a 4-classes model for drinking contexts. These classes showed differential patterns of alcohol use (both in terms of frequency and quantity) and also differed in alcohol-related variables. Alcohol use was more prevalent in contexts characterized by the presence of peers, particularly the closest friend, small same-sex or coed groups. Close to 50% of the sample reported drinking with family members. Students with a high probability of engaging in pregaming and nightclub drinking tend to use more PBS to control how much alcohol is consumed than those who do not drink in these contexts. All the classes significantly differed in their social reasons for drinking and in the number of alcohol-related negative consequences.

Conclusions

Our findings revealed subpopulations of college students that are heterogeneous regarding contexts of alcohol use, patterns of use and in a number of relevant variables. These distinctive subpopulations require different targeted interventions.

中文翻译：

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酒精使用的背景：阿根廷大学生的潜在课堂分析

背景

饮酒以及与酒精有关的变量与饮酒结果之间的关联似乎与环境有关。我们采用了以人为中心的潜在类别分析法，根据饮酒情况确定了不同的亚人群。我们还检查了结果分类是否在一组与酒精相关的变量中有所不同，这些变量具有有望成为干预目标的可能性。

方法

阿根廷大学生（N = 1,083； 64％妇女；M年龄= 19.73±3.95）完成了一项在线调查，该调查评估了饮酒的结果和相关变量[吸毒动机，保护性行为策略（PBS）和饮酒的规范性看法]。

结果

潜在类别分析为饮酒环境确定了4类模型。这些类别显示出不同的酒精使用方式（在频率和数量方面），并且在酒精相关变量方面也有所不同。在以同伴，特别是最亲密的朋友，同性或同性小伙子为代表的情况下，饮酒更为普遍。接近50％的样本报告与家人一起饮酒。与在这种情况下不饮酒的学生相比，参加婚前娱乐和夜总会饮酒的可能性较高的学生倾向于使用更多的PBS控制饮酒量。所有阶级的饮酒社会原因和与酒精有关的负面后果的数量均存在显着差异。

结论

我们的发现显示，在酒精使用的背景，使用方式和许多相关变量方面，大学生的亚群是异质的。这些独特的亚群需要不同的针对性干预。