Testing the dual pathway hypothesis to substance use in adolescence and young adulthood.
BACKGROUND
We tested the dual pathway hypothesis to substance use which posits that substance use can develop via internalizing symptoms or deviant behaviors.


METHODS
Using data from the Add Health study, we used latent class analysis to define subgroups based on patterns of substance use, and logistic regression procedures to evaluate the prospective association between symptoms of depression, deviance, and the individual substance use patterns.


RESULTS
Groups representing similar patterns of substance use were identified in both adolescence and young adulthood. Some support for the dual pathway hypothesis was demonstrated. Deviance was prospectively associated with substance group assignment in both adolescence and young adulthood, while depression uniquely predicted assignment to the smoking group in young adulthood among females.


CONCLUSIONS
Further testing of the dual pathway hypothesis should be built on diverse pattern-centered approaches able to explore the presence of population subgroups.
Dierker
Lisa C
LC
Department of Psychology, Wesleyan University, 207 High Street, Middletown, CT 06459, USA. ldierker@wesleyan.edu
Vesel
Faiza
F
Sledjeski
Eve M
EM
Costello
Darce
D
Perrine
Nicholas
N
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000987:Antisocial Personality Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D015897:Comorbidity; D003865:Major Depressive Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D015995:Prevalence; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011582:Psychological Theory; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires