Development Of Substance Use Research Articles

Predictors of Substance Use Initiation by Early Adolescence.

Substance use initiation during early adolescence is associated with later development of substance use and mental health disorders. This study used various domains to predict substance use initiation, defined as trying any nonprescribed substance (e.g., alcohol, tobacco, cannabis), by age 12, using a large longitudinal data set. Substance-naive youths from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development Study (ages 9-10; N=6,829) were followed for 3 years. A total of 420 variables were examined as predictors of substance use initiation, using a penalized logistic regression with elastic net; domains spanned demographic characteristics, self and peer involvement with substance use, parenting behaviors, mental and physical health, culture and environment, hormones, neurocognitive functioning, and structural neuroimaging. By age 12, 982 (14.4%) children reported substance initiation, with alcohol being the most common. Models with only self-report predictors had similar prediction performance to models adding hormones, neurocognitive factors, and neuroimaging predictors (AUCtest=0.66). Sociodemographic factors were the most robust predictors, followed by cultural and environmental factors, physical health factors, and parenting behaviors. The top predictor was a religious preference of Mormon (coefficient=-0.87), followed by a religious preference for Jewish (coefficient=0.32), and by Black youths (coefficient=-0.32). Sociodemographic variables were the most robust predictors of substance use initiation. Adding resource-intensive measures, including hormones, neurocognitive assessment, and structural neuroimaging, did not improve prediction of substance use initiation. The application of these large-scale findings in clinical settings could help to streamline and tailor prevention and early intervention efforts.

Personality disorders and addiction A study of 54 patients

IntroductionPersonality disorders are very often comorbid with addictions and are known to have a negative impact on the development of substance use disorder.ObjectivesEvaluate the prevalence of personality disorder in patients with problematic use of psychoactive substances followed at Ar Razi hospital Determine the relationship between different personality disorders and the clinical aspects of psychoactive substance useMethodsThis is a descriptive and analytical cross-sectional study carried out among 54 patients followed at Ar-Razi hospital Salé in Morocco for problematic use of psychoactive substances from June 1 to September 15, 2023 (Diagnosis assessed by DSM 5) Data collection was done using a questionnaire including clinical and socio-demographic characteristics and data on addiction to psychoactive and behavioral substances. The psychometric scale used to assess personality disorder: Personality Disorder Questionnaire (PDQ-4+)ResultsWe recruited 54 patients with age ranges from 18 to 45 years, with a male predominance. The average age at the start of psychoactive substance use was 15 years. Tobacco is the most used substance followed by cannabis Antisocial, histrionic and borderline personality disorders were the most common in our population. There was a statistically significant difference between specific personality disorder and the presence of severe psychoactive substance use disorderConclusionsThe frequency of personality disorders is high among subjects with problematic use of psychoactive substances. It is necessary to take care of them simultaneously (integrated care) in order to improve the prognosisDisclosure of InterestNone Declared

Differences in parent and youth perceived neighborhood threat on nucleus accumbens-frontoparietal network resting state connectivity and alcohol sipping in children enrolled in the ABCD study.

Evidence has shown neighborhood threat (NT) as a social driver of emotional and brain development. Few studies have examined the relationship between NT and neural function. Altered functional connectivity in the nucleus accumbens (NAcc) with the frontoparietal network (FPN) has been implicated in the development of substance use, however, little is known about perceived NT-related brain function or downstream alcohol sipping during early adolescence. This study examined the longitudinal relationship between youth and combined youth/parent perceived NT, resting state functional connectivity (RSFC) of the NAcc-FPN, and alcohol sipping behavior during late childhood and preadolescence. This study used data (N = 7,744) from baseline to 2-year follow-up (FU) of the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development Study (ABCD; Release 4.0). Relationships between youth and combined youth/parent perceive NT, alcohol sipping (baseline to two-year FU), and NAcc-FPN (left/right) connectivity, adjusting for demographics, family/peer history of alcohol use, parental monitoring and warmth, externalizing symptoms, and site, were examined in a mediation model via PROCESS in R. Greater youth-reported NT at baseline was significantly associated with lower RSFC between the right (but not left) NAcc-FPN holding covariates constant (R2 = 0.01, B = -0.0019 (unstandardized), F (12, 7,731) = 8.649, p = 0.0087) and increased odds of alcohol sipping at baseline up to the two-year FU (direct effect = 0.0731, 95% CI = 0.0196, 0.1267). RSFC between the right NAcc-FPN did not significantly predict alcohol sipping at the two-year FU (b = -0.0213, SE = 0.42349, p = 0.9599; 95% CI = -0.8086, 0.8512). No significant relationships were observed for combined youth/parent report predicting alcohol sipping or NAcc-FPN connectivity. Findings suggest notable reporting differences in NT. Combined youth/parent report did not reveal significant findings; youth perceived NT was related to increased likelihood of alcohol sipping and lower neural connectivity between the right NAcc-FPN during late childhood and early adolescence. NT context - and source of reporting - may be crucial in examining links with downstream neuronal function and health behaviors. Future research should investigate reward processing and threat as the cohort ages into later adolescence.

Coercive Parent-Adolescent Interactions Predict Substance use and Antisocial Behaviors Through Early Adulthood: A Dynamic Systems Perspective.

This study revisits the association between coercive parent-adolescent interactions and adolescent externalizing behaviors. Specifically, we investigate the moment-to-moment coercive exchanges between parents and adolescents and how these dynamic processes map to the long-term development of substance use and antisocial behavior from middle adolescence to early adulthood. We collected videotaped observations with 794 adolescents (ages 16-17 years) and their parents during interactions and coded their real-time behavioral exchanges. State Space Grid analyses were used to measure the proportion of time in which each parent-adolescent dyad engaged in the Dyadic Coercion region as an indicator of rigidity in dyadic coercion. We also measured adolescents' substance use and antisocial behavior at ages 16-17, ages 18-19, and ages 21-22. The enduring impact of parent-adolescent coercive interaction on substance use and antisocial behavior was tested using categorical latent growth curve models and path models. Adolescents with more coercive interactions with parents showed higher rates of increase in alcohol use and higher levels of antisocial behavior through early adulthood. The findings highlight the unique contribution of using intensive data to understand coercive interactions on a micro-timescale and how these dynamics influence long-term development in externalizing behaviors. Implications for intervention studies are discussed.

Sex differences in emotion- and reward-related neural responses predicting increases in substance use in adolescence

Adolescent substance use is a significant public health problem and there is a need for effective substance use preventions. To develop effective preventions, it is important to identify neurobiological risk factors that predict increases in substance use in adolescence and to understand potential sex differences in risk mechanisms. The present study used functional magnetic resonance imaging and hierarchical linear modeling to examine negative emotion- and reward-related neural responses in early adolescence predicting growth in substance use to middle adolescence in 81 youth, by sex. Adolescent neural responses to negative emotional stimuli and monetary reward receipt were assessed at age 12–14. Adolescents reported on substance use at age 12–14 and at 6 month, and 1, 2, and 3 year follow-ups. Adolescent neural responses did not predict initiation of substance use (yes/no), but, among users, neural responses predicted growth in substance use frequency. For girls, heightened right amygdala responses to negative emotional stimuli in early adolescence predicted growth in substance use frequency through middle adolescence. For boys, blunted left nucleus accumbens and bilateral ventromedial prefrontal cortex responses to monetary reward predicted growth in substance use frequency. Findings suggest different emotion and reward-related predictors of the development of substance use for adolescent girls versus boys.

Brain Similarity as a Protective Factor in the Longitudinal Pathway Linking Household Chaos, Parenting, and Substance Use

BackgroundSocioecological factors such as family environment and parenting behaviors contribute to the development of substance use. While biobehavioral synchrony has been suggested as the foundation for resilience that can modulate environmental effects on development, the role of brain similarity that attenuates deleterious effects of environmental contexts has not been clearly understood. We tested whether parent–adolescent neural similarity—the level of pattern similarity between parent–adolescent functional brain connectivity representing the level of attunement within each dyad—moderates the longitudinal pathways in which household chaos (a stressor) predicts adolescent substance use directly and indirectly via parental monitoring. MethodsIn a sample of 70 parent–adolescent dyads, similarity in resting-state brain activity was identified using multipattern connectivity similarity estimation. Adolescents and parents reported on household chaos and parental monitoring, and adolescent substance use was assessed at a 1-year follow-up. ResultsThe moderated mediation model indicated that for adolescents with low neural similarity, but not high neural similarity, greater household chaos predicted higher substance use over time directly and indirectly via lower parental monitoring. Our data also indicated differential susceptibility in the overall association between household chaos and substance use: Adolescents with low neural similarity exhibited high substance use under high household chaos but low substance use under low household chaos. ConclusionsNeural similarity acts as a protective factor such that the detrimental effects of suboptimal family environment and parenting behaviors on the development of adolescent health risk behaviors may be attenuated by neural similarity within parent–adolescent bonds.

Exploration of the initiation of substance use among Pakistani adolescents: a qualitative approach

ABSTRACT Objectives This study aims to explore the risk factors for the initiation of substance use among adolescents in Pakistan. Method A qualitative research design using the triangulation method was employed to explore the risk factors for the initiation of substance use in Pakistani adolescents. For this purpose, a purposive sampling technique was used to recruit study participants. The total number of the sample comprised N = 18 which included mothers n = 6, and substance users n = 12. The sample was recruited from lower, middle, and upper socio-economic classes. A semi-structured theory-driven (bio-psychosocial) self-constructed interview protocol was designed. The whole data was transcribed, translated into English, and analyzed in NVIVO by using deductive thematic analysis. Results The findings of this study revealed three main themes; intrapersonal, interpersonal, and societal. All the main themes have various sub-themes such as anxiety sensitivity, mood deprivation, family conflict, parenting, presence of substance use in the family, easy availability of substance use, academic decline, peer pressure, or rejection respectively. Conclusion The study concluded that not only the sole factor can be responsible for the initiation of substance use among adolescents; interpersonal, intrapersonal, and environmental factors collaboratively play the role in the development of substance use. Moreover, negative evaluation, negligence, and socioeconomic status are also the reason for the initiation of substance use.

Portrayal of substance use in media and its effects on substance use disorders among youth

A variety of behavioral, environmental, developmental, and genetic factors have been documented as contributing to the development of Substance Use Disorders (SUDs) in youth. For example, it has been suggested that things such as the perceived availability of substances, familial history of antisocial behavior, and personal attitudes favorable towards drug use all have strong correlations to the development of substance use in youth

Suicide Attempt and Risk of Substance Use Disorders Among Female Youths

Suicide attempts are prevalent among female youths, yet little is known about the subsequent development of substance use disorders. To assess the association between suicide attempts among females before 20 years of age and future risk of substance use disorders. In this longitudinal cohort study, females aged 8 to 19 years (hereafter referred to as youths) who attempted suicide were matched with female youths with no attempt between April 1, 1989, and March 31, 2019, in Quebec, Canada. The cohort was followed up for 31 years, for a total of 2 409 396 person-years, to identify subsequent substance use disorders. Confirmed suicide attempts among females 8 to 19 years of age. The main outcome measure was hospitalization for a substance use disorder later in life. Hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% CIs for the association of suicide attempt with substance use disorders were estimated using Cox proportional hazards regression models adjusted for baseline age, mental illness, resource-limited socioeconomic status, and year at start of follow-up. Among 122 234 female youths (mean [SD] age, 15.6 [1.9] years), 5840 (4.8%) attempted suicide and 4341 (3.6%) developed a substance use disorder. Compared with the 116 394 matched female youths who did not attempt suicide (95.2%), those who attempted suicide had a greater risk of hospitalization for any substance use disorder during the follow-up period (HR, 6.03; 95% CI, 5.39-6.77), especially sedative or hypnotic use disorders (HR, 32.24; 95% CI, 23.29-44.64). Suicide attempt was associated with the development of sedative or hypnotic use disorders up to 5 years (HR, 66.69; 95% CI, 34.72-128.09), although risks remained elevated up to 3 decades later for all substances. Compared with those without suicide attempt, female youths with 3 or more suicide attempts had 21.20 (95% CI, 13.53-32.90) times the risk of substance use disorders, whereas female youths with 1 attempt had 5.70 (95% CI, 5.08-6.41) times the risk of these disorders. In this cohort study, female youths who attempted suicide had increased risk of subsequent substance use disorders compared with female youths who did not attempt suicide. These findings suggest that closer management and prevention of substance use among female youths who attempt suicide may be beneficial.

Neural cognitive control moderates the longitudinal link between hedonia and substance use across adolescence

Hedonic dysregulation is evident in addiction and substance use disorders, but it is not clearly understood how hedonic processes may interact with brain development related to cognitive control to influence risky decision making and substance use during adolescence. The present study used prospective longitudinal data to clarify the role of cognitive control in the link between hedonic experiences and the development of substance use during adolescence. Participants included 167 adolescents (53% male) assessed at four time points, annually. Adolescents participated in a functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) session where blood-oxygen level dependent (BOLD) response was monitored during the Multi-Source- Interference Task to assess cognitive control. Substance use and hedonia were assessed using self-report. A two-group growth curve model of substance use with hedonia as a time-varying covariate indicated that higher levels of hedonia predicted higher substance use, but only in adolescents with higher activation in the frontoparietal regions and in the rostral anterior cingulate cortex during cognitive control. Results elucidate the moderating effects of neural cognitive control on associations between hedonia and adolescent substance use, suggesting that lower cognitive control functioning in the brain may exacerbate risk for substance use promoted by hedonia.

Interplay between genetic risk and the parent environment in adolescence and substance use in young adulthood: A TRAILS study.

Many adolescents start using tobacco, alcohol, and cannabis. Genetic vulnerability, parent characteristics in young adolescence, and interaction (GxE) and correlation (rGE) between these factors could contribute to the development of substance use. Using prospective data from the TRacking Adolescent Individuals' Lives Survey (TRAILS; N = 1,645), we model latent parent characteristics in young adolescence to predict young adult substance use. Polygenic scores (PGS) are created based on genome-wide association studies (GWAS) for smoking, alcohol use, and cannabis use. Using structural equation modeling we model the direct, GxE, and rGE effects of parent factors and PGS on young adult smoking, alcohol use, and cannabis initiation. The PGS, parental involvement, parental substance use, and parent-child relationship quality predicted smoking. There was GxE such that the PGS amplified the effect of parental substance use on smoking. There was rGE between all parent factors and the smoking PGS. Alcohol use was not predicted by genetic or parent factors, nor by interplay. Cannabis initiation was predicted by the PGS and parental substance use, but there was no GxE or rGE. Genetic risk and parent factors are important predictors of substance use and show GxE and rGE in smoking. These findings can act as a starting point for identifying people at risk.

The roles of child maltreatment and fathers in the development of substance use in an at-risk sample of youth: A longitudinal study

BackgroundDespite ample cross-sectional evidence linking child maltreatment and father involvement to adolescent substance use, little is known about the longitudinal impact of child maltreatment and father involvement in the developmental course of substance use from early adolescence to late adolescence. ObjectiveThe primary aim of the study was to examine the long-term effects of childhood maltreatment (i.e., maltreatment type, perpetrator identity) and the quality and quantity of father involvement on developmental trajectories of substance use among high-risk youth. Participants and settingData were drawn from the Longitudinal Studies of Child Abuse and Neglect. Study participants included 681 U.S. adolescents who had experienced or were at risk for child maltreatment. MethodsLatent Growth Poisson Modeling was conducted to examine developmental trajectories of substance use at ages 12, 14, 16, and 18. ResultsChild emotional abuse and greater quantity of father involvement were associated with a higher initial number of substances used, while higher quality of father-child relationships was associated with a lower initial number of substances used. Emotional abuse and greater quantity of father involvement were associated with slower increases in the number of substances used over time. ConclusionsThe findings suggest that engaging fathers and promoting nurturing parenting and positive parent-adolescent interactions may be important for programs and policies aimed to prevent early adolescent substance use initiation. Furthermore, early identification of emotional abuse among adolescents could help to prevent initial polysubstance use onset.

Longitudinal Consequences of Adolescent Alcohol Use Under Different Policy Contexts in Australia and the United States

To test the premise that youth alcohol harm minimization policies (compared with abstinence policies) reduce later drinking and harmful consequences of alcohol use in young adulthood, we compared associations among adolescent alcohol use, young adult alcohol consumption, and alcohol-related harms in Victoria, Australia and Washington State, United States. Data came from the International Youth Development Study, a longitudinal, cross-national study of the development of substance use. State-representative samples of seventh-grade (age 13) students in Victoria (n = 984, 53% female, 90% White) and Washington (n = 961, 54% female, 73% White) were surveyed in 2002, 2003, 2004, and 2014 (age 25). Participants self-reported alcohol initiation by age 15 and age 25 alcohol consumption (per the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test). Path modeling tested associations among age 15 alcohol use, age 25 consumption, and alcohol-related harms at age 25; multiple group modeling tested the equivalence of parameter estimates across states. Age 25 alcohol consumption was lower in Washington versus Victoria and was associated with poor physical and mental health, partner conflict, substance use, criminal behavior, and violence exposure in both states equally. Living in Washington predicted lower levels of multiple alcohol-related harms at age 25 indirectly via lower age 25 alcohol consumption. Young adults growing up in Victoria reported greater alcohol consumption in young adulthood, which was associated to the same degree with the harms measured regardless of alcohol policy context. Findings support state-level policies that promote alcohol abstinence in adolescence and reduced consumption in young adulthood.

Cumulative Risk and Substance Use in Adoptees: Moderation by Adoptive Parent Stress

ObjectiveTo test whether low adoptive parent stress buffers the effect of preadoptive risk on substance use among adoptees.BackgroundAdoptees are especially susceptible to substance use in adolescence, potentially because they often experience multiple early risk factors. Because caregiver stress and child behavior problems are linked, degree of parenting stress may serve as a buffer in reducing adoptee substance use.MethodIn a longitudinal study of 82 adoptees, we tested whether cumulative preadoptive risk, parenting stress, and their interaction predicted substance use in adolescence.ResultsParents' parenting stress, but not children's preadoptive risk, predicted later substance use. Higher risk children were more positively and negatively affected by variations in parent stress.ConclusionsParenting stress is a malleable risk and protective factor in the development of substance use among adoptees.ImplicationsPrevention and intervention programs for adoptive families should target parenting stress to reduce the risk of later youth substance use.

Commentary: Substance use and the brain: it is not straightforward to differentiate cause from consequence - a commentary on Kim-Spoon et al. (2020).

That substance abuse is associated with differences in brain structure and function, and related neurocognitive impairment is undisputed. Causally informative study designs, such as the prospective, longitudinal study leveraged by Kim-Spoon et al. (2020), as well as twin and family studies, are necessary for answering vexing but critical questions about substance use and the developing brain. Investigations that seek to differentiate cause from consequence and identify the factors that initiate the cycle of addiction have the potential to transform our understanding of the development of substance use and abuse, prompt revisions to current models of addiction, guide the most strategic preventive-intervention efforts, and ultimately improve the lives of millions of affected individuals and their families.

The ABCD study: understanding the development of risk for mental and physical health outcomes.

Following in the footsteps of other large “population neuroscience” studies, the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development℠ (ABCD) study is the largest in the U.S. assessing brain development. The study is examining approximately 11,875 youth from 21 sites from age 9 to 10 for approximately ten years into young adulthood. The ABCD Study® has completed recruitment for the baseline sample generally using a multi-stage probability sample including a stratified random sample of schools. The dataset has a wealth of measured attributes of youths and their environment, including neuroimaging, cognitive, biospecimen, behavioral, youth self-report and parent self-report metrics, and environmental measures. The initial goal of the ABCD Study was to examine risk and resiliency factors associated with the development of substance use, but the project has expanded far beyond this initial set of questions and will also greatly inform our understanding of the contributions of biospecimens (e.g., pubertal hormones), neural alterations, and environmental factors to the development of both healthy behavior and brain function as well as risk for poor mental and physical outcomes. This review outlines how the ABCD Study was designed to elucidate factors associated with the development of negative mental and physical health outcomes and will provide a selective overview of results emerging from the ABCD Study. Such emerging data includes initial validation of new instruments, important new information about the prevalence and correlates of mental health challenges in middle childhood, and promising data regarding neural correlates of both healthy and disordered behavior. In addition, we will discuss the challenges and opportunities to understanding both healthy development and the emergence of risk from ABCD Study data. Finally, we will overview the future directions of this large undertaking and the ways in which it will shape our understanding of the development of risk for poor mental and physical health outcomes.

Commentary on Petersen et al. (2019): Development of problematic substance use in the years that follow diagnosis of schizophrenia

Commentary on Petersen <i>et al</i>. (2019): Development of problematic substance use in the years that follow diagnosis of schizophrenia

Family, cultural diversity, and the development of Australian adolescent substance use

ObjectiveAustralia is a multicultural country experiencing rapid immigration. New migrant families offer diversity in important cultural practices such as parenting that can potentially contribute insights for Australian efforts to address public health challenges. Adolescent substance use differs between cultures, and the objective of this study was to investigate potential contributing factors to these differences. It was hypothesized that differing family management practices between cultural groups would predict adolescent substance use.MethodThis study utilized a large longitudinal study of adolescents in secondary schools in Melbourne, Australia (N = 2,080; aged 12.3 years, SD = 0.5 at study commencement; 55.5% female). Latent Class Analysis and multinomial regression were used to examine parenting factors and behaviors, and their association with the development of substance use among adolescents from different cultural backgrounds.ResultsCross‐sectional analyses of adolescent reports revealed no significant differences in parenting style but higher levels of mother attachment, family rewards, and family opportunities among Australian‐born adolescents in comparison to non‐Australian‐born. We observed similar results for comparisons of English speaking only and non‐English Language Spoken at Home (LSH). Family management, non‐English LSH, alcohol use and antisocial behavior in Year 7 longitudinally predicted alcohol and cannabis use in Year 9, after multivariate control for other risk factors.ConclusionIndicators Cultural and linguistic diversity predicted longitudinal protective effects against adolescent substance use after multivariate adjustment for a range of family management factors. Given broad similarities in parenting style, future research should investigate the varied protective effect of cultural diversity factors across different substances.

Longitudinal pathways linking family risk, neural risk processing, delay discounting, and adolescent substance use.

Current theories in neuroscience emphasize the crucial role of individual differences in the brain contributing to the development of risk taking during adolescence. Yet, little is known about developmental pathways through which family risk factors are related to neural processing of risk during decision making, ultimately contributing to health risk behaviors. Using a longitudinal design, we tested whether neural risk processing, as affected by family multi-risk index, predicted delay discounting and substance use. One hundred and fifty-seven adolescents (aged 13-14years at Time 1, 52% male) were assessed annually three times. Family multi-risk index was measured by socioeconomic adversity, household chaos, and family risk-taking behaviors. Delay discounting was assessed by a computerized task, substance use by questionnaire data, and risk-related neural processing by blood-oxygen-level-dependent (BOLD) responses in the amygdala during a lottery choice task. Family multi-risk index at Time 1 was related to adolescent substance use at Time 3 (after controlling for baseline substance use) indirectly through heightened amygdala sensitivity to risks and greater delay discounting. Our results elucidate the crucial role of neural risk processing in the processes linking family multi-risk index and the development of substance use. Furthermore, risk-related amygdala activation and delay discounting are important targets in the prevention and treatment of substance use among adolescents growing up in high-risk family environments.

Impulsivity Moderates the Relation between Depressive Symptoms and Substance Use across Adolescence

Adolescence is characterized by significant increases in substance use problems. Although early depressive symptoms have been linked to adolescent substance use, recent literature reviews highlight important inconsistencies in these relations that may be accounted for by behavioral disinhibition factors. The current study aims to examine impulsivity as a specific moderator of the relation between early depressive symptoms and trajectories of substance use using a 6-year, prospective longitudinal design. Participants included 247 male and female adolescents (52.5% White, 45% female) who were, on average, 13 years of age at baseline (SD age = 0.90). They completed self-report inventories of depressive symptoms, impulsivity, substance use, and externalizing symptoms. Using a latent growth modeling approach, we found main effects for depressive symptoms and impulsivity, such that youth with lower initial levels of depressive symptoms and higher levels of impulsivity at baseline evidenced greater increases in substance use. Moreover, the interaction between impulsivity and depressive symptoms significantly predicted substance use, indicating that depressive symptoms were more positively related to substance use for youth reporting higher levels of impulsivity. Findings suggest that impulsivity is an important moderator of the relation between depressive symptoms and the development of substance use during adolescence and highlight the need for interventions focusing on both impulsivity and depression in minimizing risk of substance use.