Cause of head injury and between- and within-individual changes in impulsivity and binge drinking.

BACKGROUND

Head injury (HI) is a serious public health concern related to a wide range of medical and neurobehavioral consequences, including the worsening of adolescent psychopathology and unhealthy substance use. Little is known, however, about whether causes of HI are uniquely related to between-individual differences in impulsivity and binge drinking during emerging adulthood - a life-course period characterized by risk taking behavior and substance use experimentation.

METHODS

Data from an ethnically diverse longitudinal sample of Texas youth (N = 741) are analyzed to evaluate the association between self-reported cause of HI and between-individual stability in impulsivity and binge drinking, as well as within-individual changes in impulsivity and binge drinking. Random intercept cross-lagged panel models are fitted to the data.

RESULTS

Participants with a history of HI due to being hit by an object or sports participation report higher between-individual stability in impulsivity, while participants with a history of HI due to physical violence demonstrate higher between-individual stability in binge drinking. Within-individual increases in impulsivity are associated with subsequent within-individual increases in binge drinking, but binge drinking is not associated with any changes in impulsivity.

CONCLUSIONS

Contextual information about youth behaviors that contribute to HI can inform the development of prevention and intervention programs - especially as they relate to impulsivity and binge drinking.