Seven Years Later: Developmental Transitions and Delinquent Behavior for Male Adolescents Who Received Long-Term Substance Treatment

Abstract

ABSTRACT. Objective:Few studies have applied the "life course perspective" to the study of drug use, a noticeable omission in the fi eld. The current study addresses this gap by examining patterns of interpersonal crime, substance use, and emotional problems over 7 years for a sample of 196 high-risk males as they transition from adolescence to young adulthood, with a specifi c focus on the role of transitions (living alone, employment, marrying or cohabiting with a romantic partner, graduating from high school or acquiring a General Equivalency Diploma, and becoming a parent) on these patterns. Method: We surveyed youth who were adjudicated as delinquent in Los Angeles between February 1999 and May 2000 and referred by probation offi cials to Phoenix Academy, a long-term residential substance-treatment provider for adolescent probationers. Males ages 13-17 (N = 196) were given face-to-face interviews at study entry and at 3, 6, 12, 24, 30, 72, and 87 months. Results: Living independently and cohabiting were associated with decreased substance problems. Living with children was associated with increased interpersonal crime. Living away from parents was associated with an increase in substance problems following the transition and then a subsequent decrease in problems over time. No effects were found for receiving a diploma or having employment. Conclusions: It is crucial to begin to understand how developmental transitions may affect highrisk adolescents' involvement in criminal behavior, substance use, and emotional problems. The current study suggests that several transitions were associated with a reduction in problems as these youth transitioned into young adulthood. (J. Stud. Alcohol

Continued Detention Involvement and Adolescent Marijuana Use Trajectories

“…In terms of the reason for this observed difference, it is important to note that there was an oversampling of females in Sample 2, but not in Sample 1. Similar to the predominance of justice research being conducted with allmale or predominantly male samples (e.g., Chassin et al, 2009;D'Amico et al, 2009), we may have been underpowered to detect gender differences in Sample 1. At the same time, there have been mixed findings on gender differences within justice-involved samples, with some studies suggesting that justice-involved females are much more severe across a number of indicators (e.g., Abram, Teplin, McClelland, & Dulcan, 2003), and others suggesting a more complex picture that includes lower rates of marijuana use among females (e.g., Dembo et al, 2010).…”

Developmental timing of first drug treatment and 10-year patterns of drug use

“…Nationwide, about 22% of 18–20 year olds and 19% of 21–25 year olds use illicit drugs, the highest rates among all age groups, (SAMHSA, 2006a), but the 18–25 year old group represents only about 25% of all treatment admissions (SAMHSA, 2008). Changes in drug use patterns during the transition from adolescence to young adulthood have been examined (Brook et al, 2011; D’Amico et al, 2009; Martin & White, 2005; Schulenberg et al, 2005). In contrast, little is known about drug use patterns after young adulthood and how they may be impacted by receipt of treatment.…”

Nonmedical prescription drug users in private vs. public substance abuse treatment: a cross sectional comparison of demographic and HIV risk behavior profiles

“…The GAIN-I has been used regularly in substance treatment research [40,41]. In our current survey, questions about the nonmedical use of prescription medications (opioids, benzodiazepines, stimulants, antidepressants and antipsychotics) and routes of administration were added.…”

“…The primary instrument was the Global Appraisal of Individual Needs (GAIN-I) [ 39 ], an assessment tool that contains measures of substance use and dependence and sexual risk behaviors. The GAIN-I has been used regularly in substance treatment research [ 40 , 41 ]. In our current survey, questions about the nonmedical use of prescription medications (opioids, benzodiazepines, stimulants, antidepressants and antipsychotics) and routes of administration were added.…”