title: Developmental timing of first drug treatment and 10-year patterns of drug use.
abstract: To examine the developmental timing of first drug treatment and its associations with 10-year drug use patterns, pooled data (N=1318) from four longitudinal studies conducted in California was used to compare individuals first treated during young adulthood (26%) to those first treated at an older age. Treatment timing was associated with particular participant characteristics and experiences. Matched data showed that most people in both age groups exhibited a low level of drug use after first treatment, albeit fewer who were first treated during young adulthood maintained a low drug use level over time. Receipt of more drug treatment over 10 years was associated with maintenance of low drug use levels among those first treated as young adults, but not among those first treated as older adults. Developmental timing of first drug treatment interacts with subsequent treatment experiences in ways that impact the course of drug use.
authors.affiliation: UCLA Integrated Substance Abuse Programs, Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90025, USA. laevans@ucla.edu
authors.forename: Elizabeth
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Evans
authors.forename: Libo
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Christine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Grella
authors.forename: Mary-Lynn
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Brecht
authors.forename: Yih-Ing
authors.initials: YI
authors.lastname: Hser
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D019969:Amphetamine-Related Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy; D002140:California / Q000453:epidemiology; D002979:Climacteric / Q000523:psychology; D019970:Cocaine-Related Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007406:Interview, Psychological; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D012008:Recurrence; D016320:Substance Abuse Treatment Centers / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy*; D013997:Time Factors; D055815:Young Adult