Longitudinal determinants of substance use disorders

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Public Health
• Sociology

Background:

• Substance use disorders (SUDs) and marital discord are known to be linked.
• Longitudinal pathways and mediators connecting early life factors to adult SUDs and relationship quality remain underexplored, particularly in urban minority populations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine the longitudinal predictors of an unsupportive spousal/partner relationship and SUDs.
• To identify developmental pathways from adolescence to adulthood linking environmental, social, intrapersonal, and interpersonal factors to SUDs and relationship quality in urban adults.

Main Methods:

• A community sample of 816 urban African American and Puerto Rican adults from East Harlem, NY, was followed from adolescence to adulthood (mean ages 14-32).
• Participants completed structured questionnaires across five time waves.
• Structural equation modeling was used to analyze the longitudinal pathways.

Main Results:

• A weak parent-adolescent attachment predicted psychological symptoms, which predicted affiliation with deviant and drug-using peers.
• Peer deviance and drug use predicted young adult substance use, which in turn predicted both an unsupportive spousal/partner relationship and SUDs in adulthood.
• Psychological symptoms also showed continuity, predicting both substance use and an unsupportive partner relationship.

Conclusions:

• Distal stressors and early parent-adolescent relationships, combined with proximal intra- and interpersonal problems, predict adult SUDs and unsupportive partner relationships.
• Interventions targeting precursors at various developmental stages, including parent-child attachment, psychological well-being, peer affiliations, and substance use, can prevent or mitigate these outcomes.