Changes in delay discounting, substance use, and weight status across adolescence

Higher rates of delay discounting have been consistently linked to maladaptive health behaviors, including substance use and overeating, among adults. Despite adolescence representing a critical period for the escalation of these risky health behaviors, little is known about the developmental course of delay discounting or how this construct relates to important health outcomes in youth. The current study examined change in delay discounting over time using a latent growth curve approach and the relation between growth in this construct and changes in substance use and body-mass index over a 6-year period.

Participants included 247 adolescents (44% female) with a mean age of 13 at the initial assessment.

Findings suggest that, on average, rates of delay discounting are stable across adolescence; however, there are significant individual differences around this trajectory. Moreover, youth who demonstrate significant increases in delay discounting over time are also more likely to experience more rapid escalations of both substance use and Body Mass Index across adolescence.

Results indicate that delay discounting is an important trans-disease process among adolescents. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).