Open AccessThe adolescent origins of substance use disorders
Author(s) -
McGue Matt,
Iacono William G.
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
international journal of methods in psychiatric research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.275
H-Index - 73
eISSN - 1557-0657
pISSN - 1049-8931
DOI - 10.1002/mpr.242
Subject(s) - psychopathology , psychology , developmental psychology , substance use , clinical psychology , risk factor , association (psychology) , conduct disorder , psychiatry , medicine , psychotherapist
Although early use of alcohol during adolescence has been consistently associated with increased risk of alcoholism in adulthood, the specific mechanisms that underlie this association remain unclear. We describe a program of epidemiological twin‐family research that shows that early use of alcohol is best conceptualized as an indicator of a more general propensity to engage in adolescent problem behavior. Adolescent problem behavior, in turn, is a risk factor for a broad range of adult externalizing disorders, of which alcoholism is but one manifestation. These findings are shown to be consistent with a dual‐process model whereby early adolescent problem behavior is associated with increased risk of adult psychopathology because both are indicators of a common inherited liability and because early adolescent problem behavior increases the likelihood an adolescent is exposed to high‐risk environments. We conclude with a discussion of the importance of cross‐cultural research, which may be especially informative for identifying the consequences of early adolescent drinking. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.