Specificity of social anxiety disorder as a risk factor for alcohol and cannabis dependence

Abstract

Social anxiety disorder (SAD) is highly comorbid with alcohol use disorders (AUDs) and cannabis dependence. However, the temporal sequencing of these disorders has not been extensively studied to determine whether SAD serves as a specific risk factor for problematic substance use. The present study examined these relationships after controlling for theoretically-relevant variables (e.g., gender, other Axis I pathology) in a longitudinal cohort over approximately 14 years. The sample was drawn from participants in the Oregon Adolescent Depression Project. After excluding those with substance use disorders at baseline, SAD at study entry was associated with 6.5 greater odds of cannabis dependence (but not abuse) and 4.5 greater odds of alcohol dependence (but not abuse) at follow-up after controlling for relevant variables (e.g., gender, depression, conduct disorder). The relationship between SAD and alcohol and cannabis dependence remained even after controlling for other anxiety disorders. Other anxiety disorders and mood disorders were not associated with subsequent cannabis or alcohol use disorder after controlling for relevant variables. Among the internalizing disorders, SAD appears to serve as a unique risk factor for the subsequent onset of cannabis and alcohol dependence.

Role of individual, peer and family factors in the use of cannabis and other illicit drugs: A longitudinal analysis among Finnish adolescent twins

“…In previous studies early symptoms of anxiety and depression were related to illicit drug use in adolescence or in young adulthood (Buckner et al, 2008;Wittchen et al, 2007). Our measures of both externalizing and internalizing behavior were based on teacher's evaluations at 12 years of age, whereas other studies collected those symptoms by parents' reports , self-reports (Buckner et al, 2008) or used diagnostic assessments (Wittchen et al, 2007).…”

“…hyperactivity -impulsivity and inattention (Brook et al, 1996;Monshouwer et al, 2006;White et al, 2001). As internalizing behavior we tested emotional problems, such as depressive symptoms and social anxiety (Buckner et al, 2008;Henry et al, 1993;Jane-Llopis and Matytsina, 2006;Wittchen et al, 2007). The Multidimensional Peer Nomination Inventory (MPNI) Teacher ratings at age of 12 were used.…”

“…Characteristics related broadly to externalizing behaviors, such as impulsivity (Conway et al, 2003), early behavior problems (Kreek et al, 2005), as well as behavioral and emotional symptoms (Brook et al, 1996;Buckner et al, 2008;Jane-Llopis and Matytsina, 2006;Monshouwer et al, 2006;White et al, 2001;Wittchen et al, 2007) have been identified as risk factors for drug use. Further, influences of peers (Agrawal et al, 2007;Guxens et al, 2007aGuxens et al, , 2007b and parents (Chen et al, 2005;Hayatbakhsh et al, 2007), as well as unfavorable socio-economic circumstances (Compton et al, 2005) have been documented as determinants for cannabis use.…”

Szociális szorongás és önértékelés: a „Félelem a negatív megítéléstől” (FÉLNE) kérdőív hazai adaptációja

“…A szociális fóbia a klinikai tapasztalatok szerint nagyfokú szenvedéssel jár: szövődményei között gyakoriak a hangulatzavarok (major depresszió 48%), továbbá jellemző az alkoholizmus (48%), az evészavarok (42%) és a drogfüggőség (29%) [1,[9][10][11]. Ha a szociális szorongás krónikussá válik, a személy igyekszik elkerülni a társas helyzeteket, és ez akár tartós munkaképtelenséghez is vezethet [2][3][4][5][6].…”

Social Anxiety Disorder

“…Recently, researchers have identified that individuals with SAD appear particularly vulnerable to marijuana-related problems too. Data from the National Comorbidity Study suggest that individuals with SAD are 7 times more likely to experience marijuana dependence relative to the general population (Agosti et al, 2002) and undergraduates with higher social anxiety appear to be particularly vulnerable to marijuana use problems (Buckner et al, 2007;Buckner et al, 2008a). In a study, adolescents with SAD were nearly 5 times more likely to develop marijuana dependence as young adults compared to adolescents without SAD (Buckner et al, 2008b).…”