This is an application to study the long-term consequences of pathological alcohol involvement during the college years. Although it has been well established that drinking problems during college are often developmentally limited, there is an important subset of individuals in college whose pathological drinking is an early phase of a life-course persistent trajectory. Also, because college represents an important time for the development of social and interpersonal competencies, excessive involvement with alcohol during the college years has the potential to interfere with the accrual of human capital and, consequently, have long-term effects in a variety of life spheres. In the proposed study, we will determine the extent that various domains of alcohol involvement (i.e., consumption, problems, dependence) during college predict alcohol involvement in adulthood (when individuals are approximately 35 years old) and the background and dynamic (i.e., time-varying) factors that moderate this prediction. We will also determine the extent that collegiate alcohol involvement affects later adjustment and performance in a variety of outcome domains (e.g., mental health, work, marriage, parenting, and child outcomes). Finally, we will examine the extent that long-term outcomes of collegiate alcohol involvement are mediated by post-college alcohol involvement and by a range of potential mediators (e.g., academic achievement). In order to achieve these goals, we propose to conduct a seventh wave of assessment (Year 16), on a mixed-gender cohort of adults, half with a family history of alcoholism, originally ascertained as first-time freshmen (N=489) during the 1987-1988 academic year. At baseline (Year 1), at yearly assessments during the college years (Years 2, 3, and 4), and at two subsequent post-college measurement occasions (Year 7 and Year 11), extensive interview and questionnaire batteries were administered. Over the course of the study, subject retention has been excellent with 410 of the 489 subjects (85% of those stilling living) participating at Year 11. The proposed Year 16 follow-up will re-administer the majority of interview and questionnaire items employed at earlier waves and, for the first-time, assess the spouses/partners of our subjects in order to assess marital relations, parenting and child outcomes.
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