Chung Tammy, Hipwell Alison, Loeber Rolf, White Helene Raskin, Stouthamer-Loeber Magda
Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15213, USA.
Alcohol Clin Exp Res. 2008 Jun;32(6):966-74. doi: 10.1111/j.1530-0277.2008.00651.x. Epub 2008 Apr 26.
Positive expectancies about alcohol's effects are more likely to be endorsed with increasing age through adolescence, and the strength of positive alcohol expectancies in children appears to differ by ethnicity. Little is known about the extent to which differences in a measure's psychometric properties as a function of development and ethnicity may account for changes that are observed over time and ethnic differences. This study used measurement invariance methods to examine ethnic differences in the development of alcohol expectancies, and examined risk factors associated with girls' positive expectancies.
African-American (56%) and Caucasian (44%) girls (n = 570) in the age 7 cohort of the Pittsburgh Girls Study, and the girl's primary caretaker, were followed annually for 4 years (ages 7-10). Girls reported on alcohol expectancies at each wave, and physical aggression at Year 1. In Year 1, caretakers reported on neighborhood drug use, their own substance-related problems, and depression in the girl. Structural equation modeling was used to examine measurement invariance of positive alcohol expectancies, and to test associations of risk factors to initial level and change in expectancies.
Five of 8 positive alcohol expectancy items showed measurement equivalence for African-American and Caucasian girls in cross-sectional, but not longitudinal, analyses. Measurement equivalence over ages 7-10 was demonstrated for Caucasian girls, and over ages 7-8 and 9-10 (i.e., a two-part model) for African-American girls. Risk factor analyses indicated that, for Caucasian girls, greater physical aggression was associated with higher initial positive expectancies.
Some developmental change and ethnic differences in the performance of positive expectancy items were identified, highlighting the utility of measurement invariance methods. Risk factor analyses suggest the potential benefit of targeted alcohol prevention interventions for certain girls.
在整个青春期，对酒精作用的积极预期更有可能随着年龄的增长而得到认同，而且儿童中积极酒精预期的强度似乎因种族而异。对于一项测量指标的心理测量特性因发育和种族而产生的差异在多大程度上可能解释随时间观察到的变化以及种族差异，人们知之甚少。本研究采用测量不变性方法来检验酒精预期发展中的种族差异，并研究与女孩积极预期相关的风险因素。
匹兹堡女孩研究中7岁队列的非裔美国女孩（56%）和白人女孩（44%）（n = 570）及其主要照顾者，每年随访4年（7至10岁）。女孩们在每次随访时报告酒精预期情况，在第1年报告身体攻击行为。在第1年，照顾者报告邻里吸毒情况、他们自己与物质相关的问题以及女孩的抑郁情况。采用结构方程模型来检验积极酒精预期的测量不变性，并测试风险因素与预期初始水平及变化的关联。
在横断面分析中，8项积极酒精预期项目中的5项在非裔美国女孩和白人女孩中显示出测量等效性，但在纵向分析中并非如此。白人女孩在7至10岁期间显示出测量等效性，非裔美国女孩在7至8岁和9至10岁期间（即两部分模型）显示出测量等效性。风险因素分析表明，对于白人女孩，更大的身体攻击行为与更高的初始积极预期相关。
确定了积极预期项目表现中的一些发育变化和种族差异，突出了测量不变性方法的实用性。风险因素分析表明，针对某些女孩的有针对性的酒精预防干预可能有益。
