The timing of entry into adult roles and changes in trajectories of problem behaviors during the transition to adulthood.

Abstract

This study of a cohort of 451 adolescents examined associations between trajectories of problem behaviors and the timing of entry into work, marriage, and parenthood. We used data from 12 assessments across adolescence, through emerging adulthood and into young adulthood. We employed 2-phase mixed-effects models to estimate growth in substance use and antisocial behavior across adolescence, deceleration in the period that follows, and the change point that marks the transition between the 2 phases. We then examined the degree to which the timing of entry into a specific adult role was associated with change in problem behaviors and the change point between the 2 phases. We hypothesized that earlier entries into adult roles would be associated with earlier transitions to the decline in problem behaviors generally observed during adulthood but that later entries would be associated with more quickly declining rates of problem behaviors during adulthood. As proposed, earlier entries into marriage and parenthood predicted earlier transitions to declining trajectories in both substance use and antisocial behavior during adulthood. The findings also indicated that delayed marriage and parenthood were associated with more quickly decreasing rates of change in substance use, but not antisocial behavior, during adulthood. Thus, the results are consistent with the idea that substance use decreases earlier but not as quickly during adulthood for those with earlier entries into marriage and parenthood. However, the timing of entry into work did not predict trajectory changes. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2014 APA, all rights reserved).

Risk and Protective Processes Predicting Rural African American Young Men's Substance Abuse

“…The present research examines the processes associated with escalation in substance abuse during the emerging adult years using a life course perspective. Studies informed by a life course perspective suggest that, for some young people, vulnerability to drug abuse is a developmental process and underscore the influence of challenging environments in childhood carries forward through intermediate mechanisms associated with the primary developmental milestones of successive developmental phases (Henry, Knight, & Thornberry, ; Martin, Blozis, Boeninger, Masarik, & Conger, ). Examinations of the processes through which vulnerability in an earlier developmental phase may affect downstream susceptibility are known as cascade models (Masten & Cicchetti, ).…”

“…Precocious transitions evince strong associations with economic instability in emerging adulthood, characterized by suboptimal adaptation to social roles, closely related to economic distress (Martin et al., ). For example, adolescents leaving high school before graduation and entering job market at young ages may have unskilled, low‐paying jobs, which can produce economic instability.…”

Pathways linking marijuana use to substance use problems among emerging adults: A prospective analysis of young Black men

“…Studies also suggest that, in low-resource communities, young adult marijuana use is viewed with greater concern than is evident in well-resourced communities because it is more likely to be associated with a high-risk lifestyle and affiliation with antisocial peers (Gibson, Perley, Bailey, Barbour, & Kershaw, 2015; Mawson, Best, Beckwith, Dingle, & Lubman, 2015). Thus, in the context of disadvantaged communities, conventional peers and adults are likely to withdraw from users, increasing the users’ alienation from sources of support associated with the diminution of substance use and related consequences among young adults (Bachman et al, 2012; Martin, Blozis, Boeninger, Masarik, & Conger, 2014). …”

Is employment status in adults over 25 years old associated with nonmedical prescription opioid and stimulant use?

“…In a different cross-sectional studies, Martins and colleagues found that compared to young adults (18–22 years old) enrolled in college, 18- to 22-year-old people not enrolled were significantly more likely to endorse NMUPO and less likely to endorse nonmedical prescription stimulants (NMUPS) [11]. Relevant to Martins’ findings is research showing that earlier entries into adult roles (e.g., foregoing university enrollment to enter the workforce) may be detrimental to individuals who are not well prepared for them [12]. However, some evidence demonstrates that employment is associated with decreased misuse of prescription drugs, as is the case among government employees and those whose employers had a drug-free workplace policy [13].…”