NCJ Number
214413
Date Published
2005
Length
44 pages
Annotation
This Scottish study explored the links and interactions among tobacco, alcohol, and illicit drug use by adolescents and the characteristics of substance users.
Abstract
The study findings suggest the importance of education and health-based initiatives that address all types of substance abuse, with a focus on intervention at early ages. Tobacco smoking, alcohol consumption, and drug use increased dramatically between the ages of 12 and 15, with a sharp increase around ages 13 to 14. Girls were more likely than boys to smoke tobacco from age 13 and drink alcohol from age 14; they were as likely as boys to use drugs from age 14. The age of beginning use was lowest for alcohol, followed by smoking and illicit drug use. Early experimentation predicted continuity of use for all three substances. Alcohol, tobacco, and illicit drug use were interrelated, as the increasing frequency of using one substance coincided with increased use of the other. For each substance, there was evidence of progression from occasional use to later regular use. Multiple substance users reported higher levels of delinquency and victimization, higher impulsivity and lower self-esteem, greater involvement in unconventional activities, weaker parental supervision, and stronger peer influence than did users of only one substance and nonusers. This study drew on findings from the Edinburgh Study of Youth Transitions and Crime, a longitudinal research program that is exploring pathways into and out of offending for a cohort of approximately 4,300 youth who began secondary school in Edinburgh in 1998. The study uses self-report questionnaires, semistructured interviews, children's hearings records, teacher questionnaires, police and criminal statistics, a parent survey, and a geographic information system. 13 tables, 1 appendix, 12 figures, and 41 references