Competitive sports participation in high school and subsequent substance use in young adulthood: Assessing differences based on level of contact.
The objective of this analysis is to examine how participation in different types of competitive sports (based on level of contact) during high school is associated with substance use 1 to 4 years after the 12thgrade. The analysis uses nationally representative samples of 12thgraders from the Monitoring the Future Study who were followed 1 to 4 years after the 12thgrade. The longitudinal sample consisted of 970 12thgraders from six recent cohorts (2006-2011). The analyses found that respondents who participated in at least one competitive sport during the 12thgrade had greater odds of binge drinking during the past two weeks (AOR = 2.04; 95% CI = 1.43, 2.90) 1 to 4 years after the 12thgrade, when compared to their peers who did not participate in sports during their 12thgrade year. Moreover, respondents who participated in high-contact sports (i.e., football, ice hockey, lacrosse, and wrestling) had greater odds of binge drinking (AOR = 1.80; 95% CI = 1.18, 2.72) and engaging in marijuana use during the past 30 days (AOR = 1.81; 95% CI = 1.12, 2.93) 1 to 4 years after the 12thgrade when compared to their peers who did not participate in these types of sports during their 12thgrade year. Accordingly, the findings indicate important distinctions in sport participation experiences on long-term substance use risk that can help inform potential interventions among young athletes.
University of Michigan, USA.
Philip
P
Veliz
University of Michigan, USA.
John
J
Schulenberg
University of Michigan, USA.
Megan
M
Patrick
University of Michigan, USA.
Deb
D
Kloska
University of Michigan, USA.
Sean Esteban
SE
McCabe
University of South Carolina, USA.
Nicole
N
Zarrett
Contact; Monitoring the Future; Sport; Substance Use; Young Adulthood