title: The origins of the correlations between tobacco, alcohol, and cannabis use during adolescence.
abstract: Methods of structural equation modelling were used to analyse the correlations between reports of tobacco, alcohol, and cannabis use in a birth cohort of New Zealand children studied to the age of 16. This analysis produced three major conclusions: (a) the correlations between tobacco, alcohol, and cannabis use could be explained by a factor representing the individual's vulnerability to substance use; (b) predictors of vulnerability to substance use were the extent to which the individual affiliated with delinquent or substance using peers, novelty seeking, and parental illicit drug use; (c) in the region of 54% of the correlations between substance use behaviours could be predicted from observed risk factors and 46% was attributable to non-observed sources of vulnerability.
authors.affiliation: Christchurch School of Medicine, New Zealand.
authors.forename: M T
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Lynskey
authors.forename: D M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Fergusson
authors.forename: L J
authors.initials: LJ
authors.lastname: Horwood
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000453:epidemiology*; D002648:Child; D015331:Cohort Studies; D015897:Comorbidity; D003625:Data Collection; D004198:Disease Susceptibility; D005191:Family Characteristics; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008385:Marijuana Smoking / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000453:epidemiology*; D015233:Models, Statistical; D009520:New Zealand / Q000453:epidemiology; D010290:Parents; D010379:Peer Group; D012307:Risk Factors; D012650:Self Disclosure; D012907:Smoking / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000453:epidemiology*; D012923:Social Class; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology