A longitudinal study of the relationship between depressive symptoms and alcohol use in a sample of inner-city black youth

Objective: The purpose of this study was to examine longitudinally the relationship between depressive symptoms and alcohol use in a sample of black youth. Method: Participants were 458 black males and females interviewed annually during the high school years and then for 3 years during the transition to adulthood. The relationship was examined using growth curves with Hierarchical Linear Modeling. Results: The results suggest that depressive symptoms decrease over time. whereas the use of alcohol increases. The findings also suggest that youths use alcohol as a way to cope with depressive symptoms and that males are more likely to use alcohol as self-medication. The results also indicate that changes in alcohol use do not predict depressive symptoms, but that life changes associated with the transition to adulthood, such as attending college, predict changes in depressive symptoms and alcohol use. Conclusions: Findings highlight the role of depressive symptoms for predicting alcohol use among black youth and the role of significant life transitions in altering the pattern of alcohol use presented previously by these Youths.