Development of substance dependence in two delinquency subgroups and nondelinquents from a male twin sample.
OBJECTIVE
The effect of delinquency subtype on the development of substance dependence symptoms was examined. It was proposed that early-onset delinquents possess characteristics that increase their likelihood of developing substance dependence problems earlier and more rapidly than late-onset delinquents and nondelinquents.


METHODS
The development of alcohol, nicotine, and cannabis dependence symptoms (DSM-III-R) was examined over a 6-year period of adolescence (age 11-17) among 36 early-onset delinquent, 86 late-onset delinquent, and 25 nondelinquent boys from a large epidemiological twin sample. Multilevel/random coefficients models were used to compare groups on the rate of growth in number of symptoms over time.


RESULTS
As expected, early-onset delinquents showed an earlier onset and a faster rate of increase in the number of cannabis and nicotine dependence symptoms than late-onset delinquents and controls. Both delinquent groups had a more rapid increase in alcohol dependence symptoms than controls.


CONCLUSIONS
The data showed that early-onset delinquency is associated with earlier onset of substance use disorder symptoms and more rapid acceleration of problems with drugs than late-onset delinquency. Treatments for boys with early-onset delinquency should account for their increased risk for drug use problems in adolescence and the potential effects of those problems on the course of antisocial behavior.
Taylor
Jeanette
J
Department of Psychology, Florida State University, Tallahassee 32306-1270, USA.
Malone
Steve
S
Iacono
William G
WG
McGue
Matt
M
D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D016000:Cluster Analysis; D018450:Disease Progression; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007604:Juvenile Delinquency / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008297:Male; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D014427:Twins / Q000523:psychology*