Testosterone levels and sexual maturation predict substance use disorders in adolescent boys: a prospective study.
BACKGROUND
This investigation determined whether testosterone level and sexual maturation in boys biased development of socially nonnormative behavior culminating in a substance use disorder (SUD).


METHODS
The subjects were 179 boys recruited in late childhood through a high-risk paradigm. Path analysis was used to evaluate the influence of testosterone level and sexual maturation in early adolescence (age 12-14) on attitudes toward antisociality, affiliation with deviant peers, and social potency in middle adolescence (age 16), illicit drug use by late adolescence (age 19), and SUD in young adulthood (age 22).


RESULTS
Testosterone level predicted social potency and approval of aggressive/antisocial behavior. Sexual maturation mediated the relation between testosterone level in early adolescence and later affiliation with deviant peers. Social potency, approval of aggressive/antisocial behavior, and deviant peer affiliations predicted illicit drug use by late adolescence that in turn predicted SUD in young adulthood.


CONCLUSIONS
This study demonstrated that pubertal processes in early adolescence influence the risk for SUD via effects on psychosocial functioning.
Reynolds
Maureen D
MD
Center for Education and Drug Abuse Research, University of Pittsburgh School of Pharmacy, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15261, USA. maureen@pitt.edu <maureen@pitt.edu>
Tarter
Ralph
R
Kirisci
Levent
L
Kirillova
Galina
G
Brown
Stacy
S
Clark
Duncan B
DB
Gavaler
Judith
J
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000374:Aggression / Q000502:physiology; D000987:Antisocial Personality Disorder / Q000523:psychology; D002648:Child; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008960:Models, Psychological; D010379:Peer Group; D010556:Personality Tests; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012741:Sexual Maturation / Q000502:physiology*; D012920:Social Behavior Disorders / Q000097:blood / Q000503:physiopathology; D012923:Social Class; D012931:Social Environment; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000097:blood* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D013739:Testosterone / Q000097:blood*
D013739:Testosterone