nationally representative samples. However, discrepancies may be, at least partially, due to the recentness of the data collected. Studies examining trends in prevalence of DSM alcohol dependence document that over the past decades, rates of alcohol dependence has either remained stable or declined among European Americans, but have increased among African Americans (Caetano & Clark, 1998a; Grant et al., 2004). The underlying mechanisms related to discrepancies in prevalence of alcohol dependence among African Americans and European Americans are not known and merit empirical investigation.
