title: Attention problems in childhood and adult substance use.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess the link between childhood attention problems (AP) and substance use 18 years later.
  
  
  METHODS
  This cohort study was conducted in a community sample of 1103 French youths followed from 1991 to 2009. Exposures and covariates were childhood behavioral problems (based on parental report at baseline), early substance use, school difficulties, and family adversity. Outcome measures were regular tobacco smoking, alcohol problems, problematic cannabis use, and lifetime cocaine use (based on youth reports at follow-up).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Individuals with high levels of childhood AP had higher rates of substance use (regular tobacco smoking, alcohol problems, problematic cannabis use, and lifetime cocaine use). However, when taking into account other childhood behavioral problems, early substance use, school difficulties, and family adversity, childhood AP were related only to regular tobacco smoking and lifetime cocaine use. Early cannabis exposure was the strongest risk factor for all substance use problems.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This longitudinal community-based study shows that, except for tobacco and cocaine, the association between childhood AP and substance use is confounded by a range of early risk factors. Early cannabis exposure plays a central role in later substance use.
authors: Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Charles Perrens Hospital, University of Bordeaux, Bordeaux, France; INSERM U897, Center for Research in Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Prévention et Prise en Charge des Traumatismes, Bordeaux, France. Electronic address: cedric.galera@u-bordeaux2.fr.
authors: Cédric
authors: C
authors: Galéra
authors: Jean-Baptiste
authors: JB
authors: Pingault
authors: Eric
authors: E
authors: Fombonne
authors: Grégory
authors: G
authors: Michel
authors: Emmanuel
authors: E
authors: Lagarde
authors: Manuel-Pierre
authors: MP
authors: Bouvard
authors: Maria
authors: M
authors: Melchior
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D001289:Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity / Q000150:complications*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D015331:Cohort Studies; D006801:Humans; D012307:Risk Factors; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology*; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: ADHD; AP; Attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder; Attention problems; CBCL; Child Behavior Checklist; DSM; Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders; Electricity of France -Gas of France; GAZEL; SUD; Substance use disorder; TEMPO; Trajectoires épidémiologiques en population (epidemiological population trajectories )