Attention dysfunction predicts substance involvement in community youths.
OBJECTIVE
Cognitive impairments influence alcohol and drug treatment outcomes, though little is known about how neurocognition affects the development of harmful substance use patterns. This study examined the influence of adolescent attention functioning on the development of substance use problems in 66 high-risk youths over an 8-year period.


METHODS
Participants were community youths who were free from any history of substance use disorders, neurological illness, and mood, anxiety, or psychotic disorders at project intake and were administered neuropsychological tests and substance involvement interviews from ages 15 through 23 on average. Substance involvement was assessed by self-report, resource person reports, and randomly sampled toxicology screens.


RESULTS
Attention/executive functioning scores obtained at the intake neuropsychological assessment significantly predicted substance use and dependence symptoms 8 years later, even after controlling for intake substance involvement, gender, education, conduct disorder, family history of substance use disorders, and learning disabilities.


CONCLUSIONS
These results suggest that adolescents with limited attentional abilities, but not necessarily attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder diagnoses, may be at risk for developing more problematic alcohol and drug involvement. Thus prevention and treatment efforts should target youths with attentional difficulties by using programs that are effective for those with compromised concentration and processing abilities.
Tapert
Susan F
SF
VA San Diego Healthcare System Psychology Service and University of California San Diego Department of Psychiatry, 92161, USA. stapert@ucsd.edu
Baratta
Michael V
MV
Abrantes
Ana M
AM
Brown
Sandra A
SA
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D001289:Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D015897:Comorbidity; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011594:Psychometrics; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D018570:Risk Assessment; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*