Measuring Discontinuity in Binary Longitudinal Data: Applications to Drug Use Trajectories

Area of Science:

• Social Sciences
• Behavioral Science
• Public Health

Background:

• Life course perspectives examine variations in individual trajectories.
• Existing methods for trajectory analysis often focus on variation dynamics and classification.
• There is a need for methods to quantify and analyze discontinuity within life course trajectories.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and demonstrate novel methods for measuring discontinuity in life course trajectories.
• To facilitate the evaluation, comparison, aggregation, and classification of behaviors based on event discontinuity.
• To extend the application of these methods beyond binary event sequences.

Main Methods:

• Development of quantitative measures to gauge trajectory discontinuity.
• Application of these measures to binary event sequences.
• Illustration of techniques using data from older drug users.

Main Results:

• The proposed measures effectively quantify discontinuity characteristics of life course trajectories.
• These measures enable nuanced analysis and classification of behaviors based on discontinuity.
• Visualizations of discontinuity measures offer potential for assessment strategies.

Conclusions:

• The developed discontinuity measures provide innovative analytical tools for social science research.
• These techniques are broadly applicable to various types of life course trajectories, not limited to drug use.
• Discontinuity measure visualizations can support interventions, prevention efforts, and social services.