Longitudinal associations between problem alcohol use and violent victimization in a national sample of adolescents.

Purpose: Research indicates that alcohol use is both a risk factor for and a consequence of violent victimization. This study investigated the longitudinal associations between problem alcohol use and victimization, and whether these associations varied by gender.
Methods: Data from the National Longitudinal Study on Adolescent Health (Add Health) were used to investigate the prospective associations between alcohol use and victimization over three time points spanning 7 years. Because adolescence is a time of rapid growth, we used latent growth modeling (LGM) in addition to traditional cross-lagged structural equation modeling (SEM).
Results: For boys, both SEM and LGM indicated that problem alcohol use was a risk factor for subsequent violent victimization. For girls, the SEM suggested a bi-directional association, although the LGM provided stronger support for problem alcohol use as a risk factor for, rather than a consequence of, violent victimization.
Conclusions: Findings across the two statistical approaches suggest that interventions that reduce the likelihood of problem alcohol use among adolescents can minimize the short-term risk of victimization and the long-term risk of problem alcohol use in young adulthood.