Latent Class Analysis

Examining Classes of Bully Perpetration among Latinx High School Students and Associations with Substance Use and Mental Health

The aim of this study is to examine the heterogeneity among bullying behaviors in a sample of Latinx adolescence and associations with mental health issues and substance use perceptions.

Adolescent Patterns of Peer Victimization - Concurrent and Longitudinal Health Correlates

We examine how heterogeneity in adolescent experiences of peer victimization impact health in adolescence and young adulthood. We include multiple indicators of mental health - internalizing symptoms (i.e., depressive and anxiety symptoms), externalizing symptoms (i.e., attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms, oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) symptoms, and conduct problems), and substance use (i.e., smoking, heavy drinking, marijuana and illicit drug use). We also use multiple measures of physical health - subjective health (i.e., physical symptoms and physical self-concept), health-promoting behaviors (i.e., physical activity, healthy eating practices, and sleep duration and problems), and cardiometabolic risks (i.e., BMI waist circumference, and hypertension). In examining young adult health, we directly control for earlier (i.e., baseline) symptoms in order account for stability in health over time.

Do Classes of Polysubstance Use in Adolescence Differentiate Growth in Substances Used in the Transition to Young Adulthood?

The current study estimates classes of polysubstance use in a large group of adolescents (ages 12–18 at baseline) and examines the longitudinal trajectories of cigarette, alcohol, marijuana, and illicit drug use from adolescence to young adulthood for each class.