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PSYCHOSOCIAL CORRELATES OF DRUG USE IN TEENAGERS.

Does the pattern of escalating drug use among adolescents -- first identified in the 1970s -- still hold true? To answer this question, investigators evaluated the timing and psychosocial correlates of drug use in a large sample of junior and senior high school students in New York. A total of 7611 teenagers completed anonymous questionnaires that covered the age of first drug use and frequency of use, as well as the antecedents and psychosocial correlates of escalating drug use.

The analysis supported the assumption that marijuana is a "gateway" to other illicit drugs; the sequence of drug use progresses from alcohol or cigarettes initially, to marijuana, other illicit drugs (such as stimulants, inhalants, hallucinogens), cocaine, and finally crack. It also found that drug users function at a lower psychosocial level than non-users. The escalating pattern of use was associated with declines in school performance, homework time, family relationships, parental rules, religious involvement, and health status, and with increases in absenteeism and visits to health professionals. This sequential escalation, in which nearly all teens using drugs at one stage have used those at a lower stage, was related to the age of first drug use, with crack users starting all drug classes at least two years earlier than any other group.

Comment: The age of first drug use and the associated psychosocial dysfunction provide opportunities for physicians to screen adolescents for high-risk behaviors during routine physicals and sports exams.

— TL Schwenk

Published in Journal Watch General Medicine February 9, 1996

Citation(s):

Kandel DB; Davies M. High school students who use crack and other drugs. Arch Gen Psychiatry 1996 Jan 53 71-80.

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