Adolescent Life History Strategy in the Intergenerational Transmission and Developmental Stability of Substance Use

Abstract

Research suggests that fast life history strategy (LHS) may be a primary driver of substance use among young adults. However, a recent study reported that (a) young adult fast LHS did not subsume all theorized indicators of LHS during this period and (b) fast LHS among parents did not predict young adult fast LHS or liability for use of common substances. In this study, we used structural equations and national data to test whether these findings generalized to adolescence. In addition, given that LHS and substance use share genetic and neuropsychological bases, we examined whether fast LHS could explain the developmental stability of substance use. Overall, our results extend the findings discussed above and suggest that fast LHS fully explains the developmental stability of substance use among youth. We discuss implications for life history models, research applying life history theory and substance use, and substance abuse prevention and treatment.

Substance Use Disorder

“…In light of evidence that (a) faster strategies seem mediated by a focus on short-term survival and reproduction, (b) psychoactive substances provide the experience that substances and related stimuli are of great and immediate biological importance, and (c) the costs associated with severe use are often realized over a longer term, researchers suggested that faster life history strategists are likely more vulnerable to SUDs (Hill and Chow 2002;Lende and Smith 2002;Richardson and Hardesty 2012). Subsequently, studies confirmed that greater substance use frequency and severity reflects lower levels on a dimension subsuming somatic, parental, and community integrative effort, and higher levels on a dimension subsuming indicators of mating competition (e.g., risk-taking, aggression, delinquency, and greater numbers of sexual partners; Richardson et al 2014Richardson et al , 2016Richardson et al , 2017a.…”

Life History Theory and Recovery From Substance Use Disorder

“…Fifteen years ago a special issue on evolutionary perspectives on addiction appeared in the journal, Addiction (Nesse, 2002). Two articles in the issue applied LH theory to addictive behavior (Hill & Chow, 2002; Lende & Smith, 2002) and since these initial applications, a growing literature has applied LH theory to frequency and severity of substance use (e.g., Durrant, Adamson, Todd, & Sellman, 2009; Gibbons et al, 2012; Hampson, Andrews, Barckley, Gerrard, & Gibbons, 2016; Jones & Figueredo, 2007; Richardson, Chen, Dai, Hardesty, & Swoboda, 2014; Richardson et al, 2016; Richardson, Chen, et al, 2017; Richardson, Dariotis, et al, 2017; Richardson & Hardesty, 2012; Richardson, Sanning, et al, 2017). As described by Richardson et al (2016; see also Lende & Smith, 2002), the brain experiences psychoactive substances (and contexts of use) as biologically meaningful via their impact on basic motivational systems such as the mesolimbic dopamine system (i.e., incentive salience; Berridge, 2007; Goldman, Darkes, Reich, & Brandon, 2006; Nesse, 1994, 2002; Volkow, Fowler, Wang, Swanson, & Telang, 2007).…”

Exploratory Analysis of the Links among Life History, Reproductive Strategy, Autism-Spectrum Quotient, and Quality of Life

“…Within the LHT framework, correlations were found between reproductive strategy and individual health: early-life exposure to unpredictable environments is associated with a greater probability of adulthood obesity (Dittmann & Manner, 2017); young adult fast reproductive strategy explained 61% of the variance in young adult liability for substance use (Richardson et al, 2016). K-factor is also positively correlated with Covitality factor (includes i.e.…”