Trajectories of Childhood Aggression and Inattention/Hyperactivity: Differential Effects on Substance Abuse in Adolescence

• NCJ Number: 224383
• Journal: Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Volume: 47 Issue: 10 Dated: October 2008 Pages: 1158-1165
• Author(s): Jennifer M. Glass Ph.D.; Mary M. Heitzeg Ph.D.; Hiram E. Fitzgerald Ph.D.; Robert A. Zucker Ph.D.; Jennifer M. Jester Ph.D.; Joel T. Nigg Ph.D.; Anne Buu Ph.D.; Leon I. Puttler Ph.D.
• Date Published: October 2008
• Length: 8 pages
• Grant Number(s): R37 AA07065; R01 AA12217
• Sponsoring Agency: US Dept of Health and Human Services
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This study examined the use of trajectory classes as longitudinal risk pathways to predict problem substance use and age at onset in adolescence.

Abstract

This study echoes and extends understanding of behavior problem risk of drug problems. Consistent with prior studies, children with both aggression and inattention/hyperactivity were at markedly increased risk compared to children with inattention/hyperactivity alone. However, the methodology of this study clarified that in a sample at significantly increased risk of drug problems, increased childhood inattention/hyperactivity also predicted earlier adolescent onset of drug use, independent of aggression. Problem behaviors in childhood, such as aggression, inattention, and hyperactivity, have repeatedly been linked to subsequent adolescent substance use and abuse. However, much ambiguity remains regarding whether attention problems related to attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) as well as aggression (related to conduct disorder) are independently related to the emergence of substance abuse. This study disaggregated these two domains developmentally and examined the relation between childhood behavior trajectories and adolescent substance use. A total of 335 children of alcoholic and nonalcoholic fathers were studied prospectively. It was hypothesized that early indicators of substance abuse, such as early onset of drunkenness and drinking problems, would be increased in the behavior problem classes compared to the healthy class and that both inattention/hyperactivity and aggression problems would be significant predictors. Figures, table, and references