ABSTRACT. Objective: Identifying developmental trajectories of alcohol use is fundamental in building theories of alcoholism etiology and course. The purpose of this study was to replicate and generalize our previous fi nding that had been based on a twin sample drawn from the Vietnam Era Twin Registry. In this study, we made use of a nontwin sample of Vietnam veterans drawn from the Vietnam Era Study-a 25-year follow-up of the Vietnam Drug User Returns project that assessed the long-term medical and psychiatric consequences of substance abuse or dependence in Vietnam. Method: Alcohol-related behaviors and psychiatric status were assessed in a sample of 839 individuals that comprised 323 veterans who tested positive for drugs (i.e., opiates, barbiturates, or amphetamines) on discharge from Vietnam, 319 veterans who tested negative for drugs at that time, and a nonveteran control sample (n = 197). Individuals with a lifetime diagnosis of alcohol dependence (n = 293) were selected for further analysis. Using detailed life history charts, in-person structured interviews were conducted, which entailed retrospective reports covering the 25 years since the 1972 survey. Measures of alcohol and drug use as well as psychiatric symptoms were obtained by assessing each year of the follow-up interval, beginning with 1972. Results: Using latent growth mixture modeling, a four-class model was identifi ed with trajectories that were parallel to those identifi ed in our previous studies based on the Vietnam Era Twin Registry: severe chronic alcoholics, severe nonchronic alcoholics, late-onset alcoholics, and young-adult alcoholics. Conclusions: Present fi ndings provide additional support for the replicability and generalizability of meaningful differences in the course of alcoholism from early adulthood to midlife. (J. Stud. Alcohol Drugs, 71, 629-639, 2010)

Threat assessment has roots in clinical and forensic psychology, including the subfield of risk assessment. The robust body of research regarding culture and social justice in clinical psychology stands in stark comparison to that of forensic psychology, with little to none in threat assessment and management. One possible theory regarding this discrepancy is threat assessors’ reliance on objectivity, avoiding demographic and cultural factors that inform the analysis of risk. Yet, the constructs of implicit bias and colorblindness assert that avoiding culture may paradoxically increase the likelihood of bias. In this article, the authors provide a review of relevant literature regarding cultural considerations in general and forensic psychology focusing on risk and threat assessment. Pertinent case law is introduced to buttress the practices outlined in this article. The authors then assert that adopting the culturally competent pillar of self-awareness is a potent first step in mitigating the risk of racial bias in the practice of threat assessment. To establish the self-awareness pillar, an explanation and stepwise guide to determine social location are provided, as well as training recommendations for the field of threat assessment and management.

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