Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2001 Jun;96(6):861-70.
doi: 10.1046/j.1360-0443.2001.9668617.x.

Psychopathology in adolescence predicts substance use in young adulthood

R F Ferdinand  1 , M Blüm, F C Verhulst
Affiliations

Psychopathology in adolescence predicts substance use in young adulthood

R F Ferdinand et al. Addiction. 2001 Jun.

Abstract

Aims: To investigate prospective associations between psychopathology in adolescence and tobacco, alcohol and drug use in young adulthood.

Design: A sample of 787 10-14-year-olds from the Dutch general population was prospectively followed-up across an 8-year interval. The Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) was administered at initial assessment, and at 2- and 4-year follow-ups. Substance abuse was assessed with the Young Adult Self-Report (YASR) at 8-year follow-up.

Findings: The Thought Problems scale of the CBCL was the strongest predictor of alcohol use, while smoking was predicted by the Thought Problems and Delinquent Behavior scales. The strongest association with drug use in young adulthood was for the CBCL Delinquent Behavior scale. Predictive value of predictors in early adolescence was as important as in late adolescence.

Conclusion: To investigate pathways towards substance use in young adulthood, studies assessing a broad range of possible predictors, including Thought Problems, at different developmental stages of adolescence, are needed.

PubMed Disclaimer