A group of heterogeneous individuals may also be grouped into more homogenous classes by applying latent class models. Latent class analysis is a categorical approach which classifies individuals into more homogenous subgroups [24]. It has been used to examine patterns of dependence symptom endorsement and other variables for cannabis, alcohol and opioid analgesics [7, 9, 25, 26]. For both opioid analgesic dependence and cannabis use disorder, the latent class models were suggestive of a severity spectrum [9, 26].
