Impact of Age of Onset of Substance Use on Delinquency

• NCJ Number: 170488
• Journal: Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency Volume: 34 Issue: 2 Dated: (May 1997) Pages: 253-268
• Author(s): L Zhang; W F Wieczorek; J W Welte
• Date Published: 1997
• Length: 16 pages
• Grant Number(s): R01 AA08157; K02 AA00154
• Sponsoring Agency: US Dept of Health and Human Services
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Research (Applied/Empirical)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

A testable model was developed to examine the link between age of onset of substance use and juvenile delinquency; the model predicted the effect of early substance use on juvenile delinquency would be indirect through such mediating variables as continuing alcohol and drug use, association with delinquent peers, and involvement in deviant activities.

Abstract

Data for the study were obtained from the first wave of the Buffalo Longitudinal Survey of Young Men, a 5-year panel study of juvenile substance use and delinquency based on a random sample of 625 male youths from the Buffalo, New York, metropolitan area. Data generally supported the model and showed early substance use was significantly associated with continuing substance use, association with delinquent peers, and involvement in deviant activities. Substance use affected delinquency through intervening variables, but the mediating role of these variables differed. Association with peers and involvement in deviant activities significantly mediated the effect of early substance use on all kinds of delinquency, whereas continuing substance use had a modest mediating role in general and index delinquency. 40 references, 3 tables, and 4 figures