Predicting Tobacco and Marijuana Use among Urban African American Adolescents

Adolescent substance use is associated with multiple physical and mental health problems (Arria, Dohey, Mezzich, Bukstein, & Van Thiel, 1995; Newcomb & Bentler, 1988; Newcomb, Scheier, & Bentler, 1993), and concurrent and later difficulties related to social, academic, and occupational functioning (Hawkins, Catalano, & Miller, 1992; Kandel & Yamaguchi; Newcomb, 1994; Yamguchi & Kandel, 1985). Thus, it is important to understand risks for adolescent substance use to inform prevention. The current study utilized prospective longitudinal data to examine early childhood behavioral and academic risks as antecedents to adolescent mental health problems and externalizing problems, which in turn were hypothesized to influence adolescent substance use. Specifically, first grade aggressive behavior and low academic readiness were examined as distal risks for adolescent substance use; sixth grade depressive symptoms, deviant peer affiliation, and conduct problems were examined as proximal risks for adolescent substance use, linking the early risks with later substance use. Data were drawn from a community epidemiologically-defined sample of urban African American adolescents (N = 585; 53.2% male). Findings revealed that aggressive behavior was associated with conduct problems, which in turn predicted later substance use. For females, low academic readiness also was associated with conduct problems, suggesting multiple trajectories to conduct problems and adolescent substance use. Although neither first grade risk was associated with deviant peer affiliation, deviant peer affiliation was associated with tobacco and marijuana use, and these associations varied by gender. Findings underscore the value of utilizing prospective longitudinal data to identify proximal and distal risks for substance use among urban African American adolescents and highlight the importance of examining gender differences in risk for adolescent substance use.

Author

• Zimmermann, Rupa Puri

Language

• en

Keyword

• African Americans
• Marijuana
• Tobacco
• Adolescents
• Substance Use

Date created

• 2009

Type of Work

• Dissertation

License

• All rights reserved

Rights statement

• In Copyright

GW Unit

• Psychology

Degree

• Ph.D.

Advisor

• Lambert, Sharon F

Committee Member(s)

• Dodge, Tonya
• Zea, Maria-Cecilia

Persistent URL

•  https://scholarspace.library.gwu.edu/etd/z890rt33r