Longitudinal Determinants of Substance Use Disorders

Abstract

Substance use and substance use disorders (SUDs) have been linked with marital discord. Relatively little is known, however, about the antecedents of SUDs, the mediators of these factors over time, or their associations with the spousal/partner relationship among urban adults. A better understanding of the longitudinal pathways to marital conflict and to SUDs should help prevention and intervention programs target their precursors within the developmental period in which they occur. The present study, therefore, examined the longitudinal predictors of an unsupportive spousal/partner relationship and SUDs among a community sample of urban African American and Puerto Rican adults from East Harlem, NY. Participants (N = 816) completed structured questionnaires at five time waves, from adolescence to adulthood (mean ages = 14, 19, 24, 29, and 32 years). Structural equation modeling examined the effects of earlier environmental and social stressors and intrapersonal and interpersonal factors on later SUDs in adulthood. There was a good fit of the structural equation model (CFI = 0.91; RMSEA = 0.06; and SRMR = 0.06), which revealed three main pathways from adolescence to the spousal/partner relationship and SUDs in adulthood. One pathway linked a weak parent-adolescent attachment relationship with the participant's psychological symptoms in emerging adulthood (p < 0.01), which in turn were related to affiliation with deviant and drug-using peers, also in emerging adulthood (p < 0.001). Peer deviance and drug use were associated with the participant's substance use in young adulthood (p < 0.001), which predicted both an unsupportive spousal/partner relationship (p < 0.05) and SUDs (p < 0.001) later in adulthood. Other pathways highlighted the continuity of psychological symptoms as related to both substance use in young adulthood (p < 0.001) and an unsupportive spousal/partner relationship in adulthood (p < 0.001). Findings showed that the associations of both distal stressors and the parent-adolescent relationship with more proximal intra- and interpersonal problems predicted unsupportive spousal/partner relationships and SUDs among urban adults. Several aspects of the individual's life, at different developmental stages, provide opportunities for interventions to prevent or reduce unsupportive spousal/partner relationships and SUDs.

Adolescent obesity and future substance use: Incorporating the psychosocial context

“…Specifically, adolescents belonging to the Deviant Peer/Victim class engaged in higher levels of cigarette smoking, binge drinking, and marijuana use in young adulthood. This corroborates a wealth of literature highlighting the detrimental effects of deviant peer affiliation on delinquent behavior (Brook et al, 2013; Fergusson, Swain-Campbell, & Horwood, 2002). Although the Deviant Peer/Victim and Maladjusted classes had somewhat similar levels of victimization and deviant peer affiliation, levels of deviant peer affiliation were higher among the Deviant Peer/Victim class.…”

Joint trajectories of cigarette smoking and depressive symptoms from the mid-20s to the mid-30s predicting generalized anxiety disorder

“…Since the comorbidity of chronic/heavy cigarette smoking and chronic/high depressive mood was associated with low self-control, low self-esteem, and low coping, 29 individuals who smoke and have depressive symptoms may have narrower social networks and/or poorer relationships with co-workers, friends, and family members. 46, 47 This might have an adverse effect on a smooth transition to adulthood including maintaining strong friendships, establishing financial independence, starting a family, and obtaining job security, which may ultimately predict GAD.…”

Drug use disorder following early life exposure to tetrachloroethylene (PCE)-contaminated drinking water: a retrospective cohort study

“…The mechanism by which PCE and related solvents may cause neurotoxic effects is presently unknown (6). Furthermore, to the best of our knowledge, no one has investigated how early life PCE exposure might contribute to the multifactorial etiology of drug use disorder (30,31). However, available evidence suggests that PCE may exert neurotoxic actions via the peroxidation of cell membrane lipids (32), changes in the fatty acids in the brain (33), demyelination of nerve cells (34), and changes in ligand-gated ion channel activity involving the following receptors: GABA A , glycine, NMDA, glutamate kainite, and AMPA (e.g., [35][36][37][38][39].…”

“…Because using these drugs may lead to further uncontrollable use (28,29), we used newly collected data to examine the association between early life PCE exposure and the diagnostic criteria for drug use disorder. The hypothesis that an environmental exposure such as PCE could be part of the multifactorial etiology of drug use disorder (30,31) is novel but supported by experimental evidence that PCE and related solvents could increase the risk of drug use and drug use disorder by altering brain function via peroxidation of cell membrane lipids (32), changes in the fatty acids in the brain (33), demyelination (34), and negative impacts on brain receptors (e.g., [35][36][37][38][39].…”