The Intersection Between Sex and Race in Understanding Substance Co-Use Patterns in Adolescents From the Fragile Families Study

Abstract

The current study examined the prevalence of alcohol, cigarette, and cannabis co-use among a longitudinal cohort of youth predominately born to single-parent families. Data were drawn from wave six of the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study ( N = 2976; M age = 15.6; 49% female; 53% non-Hispanic Black, 27% Hispanic, 20% White). Adolescents’ reports of their past 30-day use of alcohol, cigarettes, and cannabis were used to construct eight mutually exclusive use groups. Multinomial logistic regressions adjusting for sociodemographic factors revealed that Black adolescents were at lower relative risk of using Alcohol Only compared to White adolescents. Black males were at greater relative risk of using Cannabis Only than both White males and Black females. Finally, Hispanic males were at a marginally increased relative risk of co-using Alcohol and Cannabis compared to White males. Prevention efforts targeting Black and Hispanic males’ use of cannabis (both alone and in combination with alcohol) may be beneficial.

Sex Differences in the Relationship Between Early Adverse Childhood Experiences, Delinquency, and Substance Use Initiation in High-Risk Adolescents

“…Future research may also seek to examine the impact of these trends on male versus female adolescent substance use. Indeed, recent research has begun to examine sex and racial/ethnic differences in the single use, as well as co-use, of alcohol, cigarettes, and cannabis in the FFCWS and in other high-risk populations of youth (Gajos et al, 2022; Purcell et al, 2021).…”