Relationship Between Alcohol Use and Violent Behavior Among Urban African American Youths from Adolescence to Emerging Adulthood A Longitudinal Study

This study examined developmental trajectories of alcohol use and violent behavior among urban African American youth and the longitudinal relationship between these behaviors from adolescence to emerging adulthood. The sample included 649 African American youth (49 percent male) followed for eight years. Violent behavior peaked in middle to late adolescence and declined thereafter, whereas the frequency of alcohol use increased steadily over time. These trajectories varied according to gender. Among both male and female participants, early violent behavior predicted later alcohol use, and early alcohol use predicted later violent behavior. Moreover, changes in one behavior were associated with changes in the other.