Publication year: 2011
Source: Addictive Behaviors, In Press, Accepted Manuscript, Available online 7 August 2011
Alexa, Martin-Storey , Lisa A., Serbin , Dale M., Stack , Jane E., Ledingham , Alex E., Schwartzman
While childhood behaviors such as aggression, social withdrawal and likeability have been linked to substance abuse outcomes in adolescence and adulthood, the mechanisms by which these variables relate are not yet well established. Self and peer perceptions of childhood behaviors in men and women were compared to assess the role of context in the prediction of drug and alcohol abuse and dependence. Participants (N=676) in an ongoing longitudinal project examining the relation between childhood behavior and adult mental health outcomes completed the Structured Clinical Interview for the DSM IV regarding their histories of substance abuse in mid-adulthood (mean age =34,…
Highlights: ► Self and peer perceptions of childhood aggression, social withdrawal and likeability played unique roles in predicting adult substance abuse outcomes. ► Less gender normative behaviors (i.e. aggression in girls and social withdrawal in boys) are more predictive of substance abuse and dependence outcomes. ► Interventions targeting the role of childhood behaviors in substance abuse outcomes may wish to focus on the role of different contexts in promoting substance abuse and dependence for boys and girls.