Anxiety Symptoms and Coping Motives: Examining a Potential Path to Substance Use-Related Problems in Adolescents With Psychopathic Traits.
Although the relation between impulsive-irresponsible psychopathic traits and substance use is well-documented, the path to developing substance use problems is less understood in adolescents with these characteristics.



To examine the associations between psychopathy, anxiety, and substance use motives and a mechanism by which anxiety and alcohol and marijuana coping motives mediate the relation between psychopathic traits and substance use-related problems.



A sample of 185 at-risk adolescent males from a residential military-style program reporting past alcohol or marijuana use (M age = 16.74) participated in the study.



Impulsive-Irresponsible psychopathic traits were uniquely and incrementally predictive of alcohol and marijuana use-related problems and anxiety. Anxiety and coping motives appeared to partially explain the association between impulsivity-irresponsibility and substance use-related problems.



Findings suggest that youth expressing impulsive-irresponsible psychopathic traits may engage in problematic substance use at least partly as a function of heightened anxiety and a subsequent desire to alleviate distress by using alcohol or marijuana to cope.
a Department of Psychology , The University of Southern Mississippi , Hattiesburg , Mississippi , USA.
Christopher T A
CT
Gillen
b Department of Psychology , Washington State University , Pullman , Washington , USA.
Christopher T
CT
Barry
a Department of Psychology , The University of Southern Mississippi , Hattiesburg , Mississippi , USA.
Lovina R
LR
Bater
D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000293:Adolescent; D001007:Anxiety; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008385:Marijuana Smoking; D009042:Motivation; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders
Anxiety; drinking motives; marijuana use motives; psychopathy; substance use