Salience of Dual Systems Constructs for Predicting Stimulant/Amphetamine Use Across Adolescence and Early Adulthood: a Mixed Effects Modeling Approach

Abstract

Stimulant/amphetamine use presents a major public health problem. There is a dearth of research which has studied this behavior from a dual systems model perspective. This study examined the relevance of sensation-seeking and impulse control for predicting stimulant/amphetamine use and tested whether these relationships varied as a function of time. The Pathways to Desistance data were used in analyses, comprising the responses of 1,354 justice-involved youth across 84 months with 11 data points each. Mixed effects modeling was used to examine these relationships. Results indicated that greater sensation-seeking was associated with greater odds of stimulant/amphetamine use. This relationship varied as a linear function of time, with the salience of sensation-seeking for predicting stimulant/amphetamine use declining as participants got older. However, this interaction only reached marginal significance at the p < .09 level. Interventions focused on sensation-seeking may help reduce stimulant/amphetamine use, but effects may be greater for adolescents relative to young adults.

Understanding the Impact of Deviant Peer Association on Risk for Stimulant/Amphetamine Use: The Moderating Role of Exposure to Violence

“…Greater deviant peer association was found to be associated with elevated risk of SA use at follow-up. This finding was consistent with prior research on the topic (Dhein et al, 2018;Wojciechowski, 2021;Yangyuen et al, 2020), thus providing additional evidence of the robust relationship between deviant peers and SA use. This provides evidence of the importance of reducing peer effects among JIY as a mechanism to mitigate the public health impacts of SA use.…”

“…This study then tested to determine whether or not deviant peer association moderated the impact of both or either form of exposure to violence on SA use risk among a sample of justice-involved youth (JIY). 1 Deviant peer association has been identified as a robust risk factor predicting SA use (Dhein, Schmelmer, Guenther, & Salameh, 2018;Wojciechowski, 2021;Yangyuen et al, 2020). One of the most prominent theoretical frameworks providing the mechanisms underpinning this relationship is Akers' (1973) social learning theory.…”

“…The health impact of these drugs makes identification of risk factors for use and misuse a paramount concern for public health professionals and researchers if harm is to be mitigated. Two risk factors for SA use that have been identified by prior research are deviant peer association and exposure to violence (Mburu et al, 2019; Turner et al, 2018; Wojciechowski, 2021; Yangyuen, Kanato, Mahaweerawat, Mahaweerawat, & Somdee, 2020). Despite research indicating the relevance of these social factors for predicting use, there remain noteworthy gaps in our understanding of these relationships.…”

“…Deviant peer association has been identified as a robust risk factor predicting SA use (Dhein, Schmelmer, Guenther, & Salameh, 2018; Wojciechowski, 2021; Yangyuen et al, 2020). One of the most prominent theoretical frameworks providing the mechanisms underpinning this relationship is Akers’ (1973) social learning theory.…”

“…As noted above, prior research has indicated that association with deviant peers has been identified as a risk factor for SA use (Akbari et al, 2021; Darvishzadeh, Mirzaee, Jahani, & Sharifi, 2019; Dhein et al, 2018). For example, Wojciechowski (2021) found that increased association with deviant peers predicted increased odds of SA use among a sample of justice-involved youth (JIY) at follow-up. Further, this study found that this effect was moderated by age, as the impact of deviant peer association on SA use risk generally declined in a linear manner as participants aged.…”