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A Cusp Catastrophe Model for Adolescent Alcohol Use: An Empirical Test

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Nonlinear Dynamics, Psychology, and Life Sciences

Abstract

The current study was designed to assess the usefulness of a cusp catastrophe model in predicting adolescent alcohol use. The model suggests that dispositions should be viewed as a normal parameter in a cusp catastrophe model and situational pressure serves as a splitting parameter. This conceptualization predicts that as situational pressure increases a bimodal distribution in the underlying behavior should result. Statistical analyses revealed that the cusp model was a better predictor of alcohol use than the alternative linear models. These findings suggest that the modeling of situational pressure variables should be reexamined from within this new framework.

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  1. Department of Psychology, Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, Florida

    Scott Clair

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Clair, S. A Cusp Catastrophe Model for Adolescent Alcohol Use: An Empirical Test. Nonlinear Dynamics Psychol Life Sci 2, 217–241 (1998). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1022376002167

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