Applying behavioral economics to understand changes in alcohol outcomes during the transition to adulthood: Longitudinal relations and differences by sex and race.

Population drinking trends show clear developmental periodicity, with steep increases in harmful alcohol use from ages 18 to 22 followed by a gradual decline across the 20s, albeit with persistent problematic use in a subgroup of individuals. Cross-sectional studies implicate behavioral economic indicators of alcohol overvaluation (high alcohol demand) and lack of alternative substance-free reinforcers (high proportionate alcohol-related reinforcement) as potential predictors of change during this developmental window, but longitudinal evidence is sparse. Using a sample of emerging adults ( Alcohol problems and HDD decreased across assessments. Significant between-person effects indicated that each behavioral economic variable was associated with increased drinking risk. Change in reinforcement ratio was positively associated with decreases in alcohol problems. Multigroup invariance modeling revealed distinct risk pathways in that change in demand intensity and The study provides consistent support for proportionate alcohol-related reinforcement and mixed support for demand as within-person predictors of reductions in drinking. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).