Developmental epidemiology of drug use and abuse in adolescence and young adulthood: Evidence of generalized risk

• Type of Material: Article
• Authors: Rohan H. Palmer, Emory University; S. E. Young, University of Colorado at Boulder; C. J. Hopfer, University of Colorado at Denver; R. P. Corley, University of Colorado at Boulder; M. C. Stallings, University of Colorado at Boulder; T. J. Crowley, University of Colorado at Denver; J. K. Hewitt, University of Colorado at Boulder
• Language: English
• Date: 2009-06-01
• Publisher: Elsevier: 12 months
• Publication Version: Author Accepted Manuscript (After Peer Review)
• Copyright Statement: © 2009 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.
• License: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 4.0 International
• Final Published Version (URL): http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2009.01.012
• Title of Journal or Parent Work: Drug and Alcohol Dependence
• ISSN: 0376-8716
• Volume: 102
• Issue: 1-3
• Start Page: 78
• End Page: 87
• Grant/Funding Information: The development and maintenance of the LTS sample was supported by NICHD Grant HD 010333 and MH063207.; Individual support for the coauthors was provided by DA011015 and DA015522.; Funding for this study was provided by NIMH Grants MH016880 and MH063207; NICHD Grant HD010333; NIDA Grants DA011015 and DA015522.; Data collection was supported by DA011015.; MH016880 supported the training of Rohan Palmer, the analysis and interpretation of the data, and the writing of the report.
• Keywords: Male; Marijuana Smoking; Age Factors; Sex Factors; Marijuana Abuse; Longitudinal Studies; Humans; Young Adult; Adolescent; Data Interpretation, Statistical; Smoking; Substance-Related Disorders; Models, Statistical; Risk Assessment; Alcohol Drinking; Alcoholism; Risk Factors; Ethnic Groups; Odds Ratio; Female
• Research Categories: Psychology, Behavioral; Health Sciences, Mental Health

Abstract

Past studies highlight a narrowing gender gap and the existence of a shared etiology across substances of abuse; however, few have tested developmental models using longitudinal data. We present data on developmental trends of alcohol, tobacco, and marijuana use, abuse and dependence assessed during adolescence and young adulthood in a community-based Colorado twin sample of 1733 respondents through self-report questionnaires and structured psychiatric interviews. Additionally, we report on the rates of multiple substance use and disorders at each developmental stage, and the likelihood of a substance use disorder (SUD; i.e., abuse or dependence) diagnosis in young adulthood based on adolescent drug involvement. Most notably, we evaluate whether the pattern of multiple substance use and disorders and likelihood ratios across substances support a model of generalized risk. Lastly, we evaluate whether the ranked magnitudes of substance-specific risk match the addiction liability ranking. Substance use and SUDs are developmental phenomena, which increase from adolescence to young adulthood with few and inconsistent gender differences. Adolescents and young adults are not specialized users, but rather tend to use or abuse multiple substances increasingly with age. Risk analyses indicated that progression toward a SUD for any substance was increased with prior involvement with any of the three substances during adolescence. Despite the high prevalence of alcohol use, tobacco posed the greatest substance-specific risk for developing subsequent problems. Our data also confirm either a generalized risk or correlated risk factors for early onset substance use and subsequent development of SUDs.