NCJ Number
196047
Journal
Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry Volume: 41 Issue: 7 Dated: July 2002 Pages: 838-845
Editor(s)
Mina K. Dulcan M.D.
Date Published
July 2002
Length
8 pages
Annotation
This report studied adolescent illicit drug initiation from ages 12 to 21 using a prospective longitudinal panel of youths in Seattle assessing the risk and impact of illicit drug initiation through an examination of sociodemographic, family, and peer predictors.
Abstract
In previous studies, specific progressions or stages of drug initiation in adolescence have been consistently identified with the typical sequence beginning with either alcohol or tobacco followed by marijuana use and other illicit drugs. This study examined whether sociodemographic background, family, and peer factors affected illicit drug initiation through the prior initiation of alcohol, tobacco, and marijuana use. The goals were to assess how the risk of illicit drug initiation changed from 12 to 21; examine the potential impact of parental warmth and support, parental control and supervision, and prosocial and antisocial peers on the risk of initiation; and examine possible developmental differences in familial and peer effects; and gender and ethnic similarities and differences in familial and peer effects. Study participants included 808 students who participated in the Seattle Social Development Project (SSDP), a longitudinal study of the development of positive and antisocial behaviors. Participants were surveyed at age 10 in 1985 and followed to age 21 in 1996. Results indicated that the risk of illicit drug initiation increased steadily from ages 12 to 21 in the SSDP sample. Among all family predictors, family monitoring and rules, family conflict, and family bonding predicted adolescents’ risk of illicit drug initiation throughout adolescence. In the study, a higher level of peers’ antisocial activity predicted a significantly higher risk of illicit drug initiation. In addition, the study indicated that family bonding and peers’ antisocial activity may influence the risk of illicit drug initiation differently at different developmental periods. In general, family and peer factors had similar effects on risk of illicit drug initiation across gender and ethnic groups during adolescence in the SSDP sample. Clinical implications showed that family and peer factors should be important targets of preventive efforts. References