Precocious Initiation into Smoking, Alcohol Use, and Gambling among Children with Conduct Problems

Abstract

Objective: Adolescent participation in risky and addictive behaviours, such as smoking, substance use, and gambling has the potential to lead to many serious problems. The presence of conduct problems (CPs) and early initiation into risky and addictive behaviours have been independently shown to be associated with adolescent and young adult smoking, drinking, and gambling. Nevertheless, the relation between early initiation into risky and addictive behaviours and CPs remains to be explored among pre-adolescents. Our study aims to examine the prospective relation between CPs in early primary school and pre-adolescent initiation into smoking, alcohol use, and gambling. Method: Our study used data from participants in an ongoing prospective, longitudinal study at the Université de Sherbrooke to examine cigarette, alcohol, and gambling initiation among primary school-aged boys and girls with CPs. Children were recruited between the ages of 6 and 9 years from several low socioeconomic status public schools in diverse geographical regions of Quebec. Initiation into cigarettes, alcohol, and gambling was measured 1 year later.Results: Children with CPs were found to be at greater risk for early initiation into smoking, alcohol, and gambling. These effects remained even once other known risk factors, such as poor parental supervision and child effortful control, were controlled for. Conclusions:These results suggest that CPs present in early elementary school can predict early initiation in to potentially addictive behaviours among boys and girls. Implications for targeted preventive intervention are discussed. Abré géObjectif : La participation des adolescents à des comportements à risques créant une dépendance, comme le tabagisme, l'utilisation de substances, et le jeu, a le potentiel de mener à une variété de problèmes sérieux. La présence de problèmes de conduite (PC) et un début précoce de comportements à risques créant une dépendance se sont indépendamment révélés être associés au tabagisme, à la consommation d'alcool et au jeu chez les adolescents et les jeunes adultes. Néanmoins, la relation entre le début précoce des comportements à risques créant une dépendance et les PC demeure à être explorée chez les pré-adolescents. Cette étude vise à examiner la relation prospective entre les PC au premier cycle du primaire et le début du tabagisme, de la consommation d'alcool et du jeu chez les pré-adolescents.Mé thode : La présente étude a utilisé les données des participants à une étude prospective, longitudinale en cours à l'Université de Sherbrooke pour examiner le début du tabagisme, de l'alcool et du jeu chez les garçons et filles d'âge scolaire au primaire ayant des PC. Les enfants ont été recrutés entre l'âge de 6 et 9 ans dans plusieurs écoles publiques de faible statut

Age at first alcohol use and weapon carrying among adolescents: Findings from the 2019 Youth Risk Behavior Survey

“…This was after adjusting for demographic factors, household income, parental alcohol use, and self-perceived physical and mental health. Other observational studies have also found age at first alcohol use to be associated with social, behavioral, and mental health outcomes ( Agrawal et al, 2009 ; Blomeyer et al, 2011 ; Darke & Torok, 2014 ; Doran & Waldron, 2017 ; Hingson et al, 2016 ; Liang & Chikritzhs, 2012 ; Temcheff et al, 2016 ). However, few studies have investigated the extent to which early initiation of alcohol might be associated with violent behaviors such as weapon carrying among adolescents.…”

“…Although various studies have investigated and found age at first alcohol use to be associated with adverse social, behavioral, and mental health outcome ( Agrawal et al, 2009 ; Blomeyer et al, 2011 ; Ciairano et al, 2009 ; Darke & Torok, 2014 ; Doran & Waldron, 2017 ; DuRant et al, 1999 ; Hingson et al, 2016 ; Liang and Chikritzhs, 2012 , 2015 ; Temcheff et al, 2016 ), to our knowledge, few studies have investigated the association between age at first alcohol use and weapon carrying among adolescents. Most of the existing studies tend to focus on the association between current alcohol use and weapon carrying among adolescents ( Bailey et al, 1997 ; DuRant et al, 1997 ; Goebert et al, 2004 ; Khubchandani and Price, 2018a , 2018b ; Muula et al, 2008 ), without taking into account the age at which adolescents had their first alcoholic drink.…”

The Mediating Role of Emotion Regulation in Relationship Between Criticism and Cigarette Smoking Among Male Adolescents

“…However, the more crucial issue is tobacco use by adolescents, which has become a major concern in public health (5). Studies in this respect have suggested that symptoms of nicotine dependence are evident in the early stages of the onset of smoking because first, even by smoking a few cigarettes, adolescents intake the same amount of nicotine as that taken in by adults; and second, symptoms of smoking dependence including cravings and withdrawals occur in them (6,7). In this regard, investigations have also indicated that such symptoms develop quickly in adolescents and they will encounter numerous problems when trying to quit smoking (8).…”

Editorial Perspective: Based on current evidence, should mental health clinicians assess children for substance use initiation and substance use disorders?

“…Childhood initiation of substance use is consequential. It is associated with future hazardous drinking (Liang & Chikritzhs, ), polysubstance use and comorbid mental disorders (SAMHSA, ), co‐occurring psychiatric illness including mood dysregulation disorder, and especially disruptive disorders including ADHD, Oppositional Defiant Disorder and Conduct Disorder (Deas & Thomas, n.d.; Temcheff, Déry, St‐Pierre, Laventure, & Lemelin, ), childhood assaultive behavior (Mathias et al., ), chaotic and abusive family environments and parental substance use disorders (Dube et al., ; Kingston, Rose, Cohen‐Serrins, & Knight, ), and adolescent suicide attempts (Cho, Hallfors, & Iritani, ). Because of the relationship of childhood substance initiation and co‐occurring and future morbidity and mortality, screening for childhood substance use would identify children who are likely to have multiple service needs including social services, mental health treatment, and treatment directed at specifically at substance use.…”