Age of initiation with different substances and relationships with resources and vulnerabilities: A cross-national study

Abstract

There is still limited knowledge about the interrelations among the age of initiation of different substances and the diverse aspects of adolescent functioning. The present cross-national study aimed at exploring the presence of a time-order pattern of age of initiation of different substances and the relationships with personal and relational resources and vulnerabilities, drawn from the problem behaviour theory by Jessor et al. (1991). The sample consisted of 970 adolescents from Italy and The Netherlands, of whom 198 were fully initiated in alcohol, first tobacco use, regular tobacco smoking and marijuana. In both countries, cumulative scale analyses showed the presence of a pattern of age of initiation in the different types of substances. The earlier the age of onset of one substance, the earlier the age of onset of the other substances. Furthermore, the higher the personal resources and the healthy, conventional parents and friend models, the older the age of initiation of different substances by both Dutch and Italian adolescents. With respect to the use of alcohol, the higher the relational resources, the older the age of initiation. Conversely, the higher the adolescents perceived relational vulnerabilities, the younger their age of initiation in drugs. These findings suggest that preventive interventions might be more successful when they are precocious, enhance personal capabilities, and produce changes in the adolescent life context.