NCJ Number
238154
Journal
Criminology Volume: 50 Issue: 1 Dated: February 2012 Pages: 187-220
Date Published
February 2012
Length
34 pages
Annotation
This article examines the cumulative impact of early transitions into adult roles and responsibilities on the onset of methamphetamine (MA) use.
Abstract
Precocious adoption of adult roles and responsibilities at an early age often has been linked to substance abuse and criminal behavior. Yet, much of the existing research suggests that early offending behaviors induce precocious movement into adulthood; less attention has focused on the way in which early adoption of adult roles and responsibilities might itself contribute to the onset of offending. In the following article, the authors examine the cumulative impact of early transitions into adult roles and responsibilities on the onset of methamphetamine (MA) use. Through inductive analyses of interviews with women methamphetamine users, we identified a range of adult roles and responsibilities that women described as facilitating their initiation into MA use, including family caretaking, motherhood, independent living, and peer and romantic associations with adults. Such findings have theoretical implications for both life-course perspectives and feminist pathways research. They highlight the importance of attending to the timing and sequencing of experiences as well as highlight the gendered nature of these processes. (Published Abstract)