TY - JOUR
T1 - A Latent Transition Analysis of Self-Reported Reasons for Marijuana Use During Young Adulthood
AU - Bray, Bethany C.
AU - Berglund, Patricia A.
AU - Evans-Polce, Rebecca J.
AU - Patrick, Megan E.
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© The Author(s) 2021.
PY - 2021/3
Y1 - 2021/3
N2 - Individuals’ reasons for marijuana use have been linked to their risk for continued use and development of disordered use. Although individuals tend to have multiple reasons for use, co-occurrence of reasons is not always accounted for in analytic approaches. Latent transition analysis (LTA) is ideal for modeling transitions in co-occurring reasons. Using longitudinal panel data from Monitoring the Future, LTA was used to identify profiles of self-reported reasons for marijuana use among young adults, examine transitions between profiles, and determine whether cohort, gender, race/ethnicity, parent education, grade of first marijuana use, and 4-year college attendance predicted transitions between profiles. Data included senior year cohorts from 1976–2009 and were collected at ages 19/20, 21/22, and 23/24 (weighted n = 7,294; 55.9% female; 79.3% White). Five latent classes were identified: Non-Users and individuals with Experimental, Typical, Get High + Relax, and Escape + Coping Reasons. Transitions among Non-Users, Experimental Reasons, and Typical Reasons were common; generally, those with earlier cohort membership, early initiation, college non-attending parents, and college attendance were more likely to make transitions to higher-risk classes. As the legalization of recreational marijuana use continues to expand, change over time in reasons for use should be considered carefully as interventions are developed and implemented.
AB - Individuals’ reasons for marijuana use have been linked to their risk for continued use and development of disordered use. Although individuals tend to have multiple reasons for use, co-occurrence of reasons is not always accounted for in analytic approaches. Latent transition analysis (LTA) is ideal for modeling transitions in co-occurring reasons. Using longitudinal panel data from Monitoring the Future, LTA was used to identify profiles of self-reported reasons for marijuana use among young adults, examine transitions between profiles, and determine whether cohort, gender, race/ethnicity, parent education, grade of first marijuana use, and 4-year college attendance predicted transitions between profiles. Data included senior year cohorts from 1976–2009 and were collected at ages 19/20, 21/22, and 23/24 (weighted n = 7,294; 55.9% female; 79.3% White). Five latent classes were identified: Non-Users and individuals with Experimental, Typical, Get High + Relax, and Escape + Coping Reasons. Transitions among Non-Users, Experimental Reasons, and Typical Reasons were common; generally, those with earlier cohort membership, early initiation, college non-attending parents, and college attendance were more likely to make transitions to higher-risk classes. As the legalization of recreational marijuana use continues to expand, change over time in reasons for use should be considered carefully as interventions are developed and implemented.
KW - latent transition analysis
KW - marijuana use
KW - reasons for use
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85098488562&partnerID=8YFLogxK
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U2 - 10.1177/0163278720984514
DO - 10.1177/0163278720984514
M3 - Article
C2 - 33375829
AN - SCOPUS:85098488562
SN - 0163-2787
VL - 44
SP - 9
EP - 24
JO - Evaluation and the Health Professions
JF - Evaluation and the Health Professions
IS - 1
ER -