Patterns of Alcohol Use in Italian Emerging Adults: A Latent Class Analysis Study

Aims The goals of the current study were to identify latent classes of alcohol users among Italian emerging adults (18–33 years), examine differences in the class solution based on socio-demographic characteristics, and examine whether differences exist across classes in experiencing different types of alcohol-related negative consequences. Methods Participants (N = 5955; 62.72% female; mean age 27.19 years) were drawn from a pre-recruited Web panel designed to be representative of the Italian young adults (18–33 years) population. Latent class analysis (LCA) was used to identify common patterns of alcohol use. Results Four classes of drinking patterns were identified: (a) Current Nondrinkers (15%); (b) Weekend Non-Risky Drinkers (51%); (c) Weekend Risky Drinkers (20%); and (d) Daily Drinkers (13%). The number and type of classes did not differ across several demographic variables, although proportions within classes varied by sex, age, occupation status and geographic area. Weekend Risky Drinkers experienced the greatest number of alcohol-related negative consequences. Conclusions The great majority of the sample displayed drinking patterns with relatively infrequent involvement in risky drinking. Preventive interventions should, instead, target those who drink alcohol on weekends only, but show the greatest negative consequences. Short Summary Four classes of drinking patterns were identified in a large representative sample of Italian young adults. The great majority of the sample displayed drinking patterns with relatively little involvement in risky drinking, though those misusing alcohol at weekends were at greatest risk to experience alcohol-related negative consequences.