Adolescents from upper middle class communities: Substance misuse and addiction across early adulthood

In this prospective study of upper middle class youth, we document frequency of alcohol and drug use, as well as diagnoses of abuse and dependence, during early adulthood. Two cohorts were assessed as high school seniors and then annually across 4 college years (New England Study of Suburban Youth y...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Development and psychopathology 2018-02, Vol.30 (1), p.315-335
Main Authors: Luthar, Suniya S, Small, Phillip J, Ciciolla, Lucia
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Achievement tests
Addictions
Addictive behaviors
Adolescent
Adolescents
Adult
Adults
Affluence
Age
Alcohol use
Behavior, Addictive - psychology
Cannabis
Child & adolescent psychiatry
Cocaine
College students
Drug abuse
Drug addiction
Drug dependence
Drug overdose
Female
Growth models
Humans
Male
Marijuana
Prospective Studies
Public health
Secondary schools
Social Class
Stimulants
Substance use
Substance-Related Disorders - psychology
Teenagers
Trends
United States
Young Adult
Young adults
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Summary:In this prospective study of upper middle class youth, we document frequency of alcohol and drug use, as well as diagnoses of abuse and dependence, during early adulthood. Two cohorts were assessed as high school seniors and then annually across 4 college years (New England Study of Suburban Youth younger cohort [NESSY-Y]), and across ages 23-27 (NESSY older cohort [NESSY-O]; ns = 152 and 183 at final assessments, respectively). Across gender and annual assessments, results showed substantial elevations, relative to norms, for frequency of drunkenness and using marijuana, stimulants, and cocaine. Of more concern were psychiatric diagnoses of alcohol/drug dependence: among women and men, respectively, lifetime rates ranged between 19%-24% and 23%-40% among NESSY-Os at age 26; and 11%-16% and 19%-27% among NESSY-Ys at 22. Relative to norms, these rates among NESSY-O women and men were three and two times as high, respectively, and among NESSY-Y, close to one among women but twice as high among men. Findings also showed the protective power of parents' containment (anticipated stringency of repercussions for substance use) at age 18; this was inversely associated with frequency of drunkenness and marijuana and stimulant use in adulthood. Results emphasize the need to take seriously the elevated rates of substance documented among adolescents in affluent American school communities.
ISSN:0954-5794
1469-2198
DOI:10.1017/S0954579417000645