title: Drug use and personality in adolescence and young adulthood: structural models with nonnormal variables.
abstract: An introduction to structural modeling with nonnormal continuous variables is provided using the equations language of the micro-mainframe program EQS in the context of a longitudinal study of adolescent development that followed about 700 adolescents across an 8-year span into young adulthood. 2 models relating drug use and personality are developed to assess the influence of drug use on personality, and personality on drug use. A high level of self-acceptance is shown to have a small but significant inoculating effect against subsequent cannabis use in both early and late adolescence, while a small positive effect of cannabis use on subsequent self-acceptance occurs only during early adolescence. Substantial stability of self-derogation, cannabis use, and law abidance are demonstrated, with self-derogation during adolescence leading to increased law abidance during young adulthood.
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000294:Adolescent Behavior; D002188:Cannabis; D002657:Child Development; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008433:Mathematics; D008960:Models, Psychological; D010551:Personality; D012069:Religion and Psychology; D012649:Self Concept; D012926:Social Control, Formal