NCJ Number
205537
Journal
Journal of Child & Adolescent Substance Abuse Volume: 13 Issue: 3 Dated: 2004 Pages: 85-100
Date Published
2004
Length
16 pages
Annotation
This study assessed changes in alcohol and drug use as youth made the transition from living with their families of origin to independent living environments.
Abstract
Study participants were 281 adolescents and their parents who were part of a longitudinal study of alcohol and drug involvement. The sample was predominantly White, approximately 16 years old, and from families that represented a broad range of socioeconomic backgrounds. Of these youth, 166 were originally recruited from 3 inpatient alcohol and drug abuse treatment programs. Simultaneously, 115 nonabusing youth and their parents were recruited as a community-based comparison group. The youth and their resource people were monitored at 6 months and 1, 2, 4, and 6 years after initial assessment. Follow-up participation in structured interviews and self-report questionnaires was comparable for the treated and community samples (84-90 percent and 91-96 percent, respectively). The Structured Clinical Interview for Adolescents was used to determine time-points of transition to independent living, defined as the first time the youth moved out of either the family home or an alternative setting (e.g., foster care) to an independent living arrangement (e.g., living alone, with a roommate, or with a partner and children). The samples were also administered the Customary Drinking and Drug Use Record, which measures alcohol use and drug use for the age range of the study. A participant was classified as a drug user if he/she had used any of the following drugs during the 30 days prior to the interviews: marijuana, amphetamines, barbiturates, hallucinogens, cocaine, inhalants, or opiates. Frequency of drug use was calculated as a composite of days using any of these substances in the preceding 30 days. The majority (75.4 percent) of study participants transitioned to independent living during the 6 years of the study. The study found a 35-percent increase in the number of monthly drinking episodes across the transition to independent living, as well as a 46-percent increase in the number of drinks per week. Drug involvement was less affected by this transition; however, a larger proportion of teens with a history of substance-use problems reported use of drugs (31 percent compared with 48 percent) following transition to independent living. Both level of exposure to substances in the new environment and peer substance use were significant predictors of posttransition substance use. These findings suggest that relapse prevention efforts should take into account significant social transitions in addressing the impact of peer influences and increased exposure to substance use. 1 figure, 1 table, and 53 references