Adult Gambling Problems and Histories of Mental Health and Substance Use: Findings from a Prospective Multi-Wave Australian Cohort Study.

Little is known about the cumulative effect of adolescent and young adult mental health difficulties and substance use problems on gambling behaviour in adulthood. We use data from one of Australia's longest running studies of social and emotional development to examine the extent to which: (1) mental health symptoms (depressive and anxiety symptoms) and substance use (weekly binge drinking, tobacco, and cannabis use) from adolescence (13-18 years) into young adulthood (19-28 years) predict gambling problems in adulthood (31-32 years); and (2) risk relationships differ by sex. Analyses were based on responses from 1365 adolescent and young adult participants, spanning seven waves of data collection (1998-2014). Persistent adolescent to young adult binge drinking, tobacco use and cannabis use predicted gambling at age 31-32 years (OR = 2.30-3.42). Binge drinking and tobacco use in young adulthood also predicted gambling at age 31-32 years (OR = 2.04-2.54). Prior mental health symptoms were not associated with gambling and no risk relationships differed by sex. Findings suggest that gambling problems in adulthood may be related to the earlier development of other addictive behaviours, and that interventions targeting substance use from adolescence to young adulthood may confer additional gains in preventing later gambling behaviours.

Factors affecting stability and change in risky driving from late adolescence to the late twenties.

The risky driving tendencies of young drivers has been extensively researched, but much less is known about across-time patterns of risky driving behavior and the factors which influence these. This study identified factors associated with stable, increasing and decreasing risky driving trajectories among 751 Australian drivers participating in an ongoing longitudinal study. Five groups were formed on the basis of participants' patterns of risky driving from 19-20 to 27-28 years (i.e., stable low-risk, stable speeding, stable high-risk, increasing and decreasing). Very few participants exhibited a stable high-risk pattern. Characteristics that differentiated the different across-time groups were identified using Multinomial Logistic Regression. The most consistent correlates of risky driving patterns were antisocial behavior, binge drinking and relationship status. Sex, school completion, temperament, civic engagement, and antisocial peer friendships were also correlated with different across-time patterns. The implications of these findings for road safety are discussed.

Individual differences in the concordance of self-reports and official records.

BACKGROUND: Although self-reported and official measures of criminal behaviour are highly correlated, the concordance between self-reports and official records appears to vary across the population. Few studies, however, have considered the range of individual traits and characteristics that might influence the relative accuracy of self-reports and official records. METHOD: Using data collected from the Australian Temperament Project, we investigated the concordance between official records and self-reports together with some of the factors that might influence it. RESULTS: Those with criminal records were 3.5 times more likely to report police contact than those with no criminal record. However, there were significant sources of individual-level variation in their convergence, and notably honest respondents were less likely to report an interaction with police. Those at risk of crime and delinquency were less likely to consent to official records searches. CONCLUSIONS: Many individual characteristics that predisposed individuals towards a criminal career also affected their willingness to consent to official records searches and the concordance between criminal records and self-reports.

Stability of risky driving from late adolescence to early adulthood.

This study examined the stability of risky driving behaviour from late adolescence to early adulthood among 823 young Australian drivers participating in an ongoing longitudinal study. This issue was explored by examining the stability of risky driving between the ages of 19-20 and 23-24 years (1) across the cohort and (2) among individuals. Focusing on cohort-wide trends, a modest reduction in the occurrence of speeding was observed across the sample between 19-20 and 23-24 years. However, drink-driving increased markedly over this period, and driving without a seatbelt or helmet for part of a trip also rose. Rates of other risky driving behaviours remained relatively unchanged. With regard to trends among individuals, while a decrease was evident in the risky driving propensities of many who had been classified as moderate or high risky drivers at age 19-20, 48% of the former group, and 77% of the latter group, still exhibited risky driving tendencies at 23-24 years. Together, these findings suggest a fair degree of stability in risky driving from late adolescence to early adulthood among this sample of Australian youth, highlighting the continuing need for road safety initiatives targeting young drivers beyond their first years of licensure.

The longitudinal prediction of alcohol consumption-related harms among young adults.

This study explores the longitudinal pathways by which risk and protective factors influence the development of alcohol-related harms in a representative community sample of 941 young adults (19-20 years) from Victoria, Australia, focusing on the role of concurrent risky drinking. Impulsivity at 15-16 years, alcohol-related harms at 15-16 years and 17-18 years, frequency of intoxication at 17-18 years, and antisocial behavior, friends' drinking and living arrangements at 19-20 years were directly related to alcohol-related harms, as well as indirectly related to harms through increased risky drinking. Paternal drinking at 17-18 years was directly related to alcohol-related harms. Friends' drinking at 19-20 years and alcohol-related harms at age 17-18 interacted with risky drinking to increase the likelihood of alcohol-related harms. Implications for intervention efforts are discussed.

Bullying in early adolescence and its association with anti-social behaviour, criminality and violence 6 and 10 years later.

BACKGROUND: Few longitudinal studies have examined the links between engagement in bullying and later anti-social behaviour for both males and females. AIMS: This study aimed to examine the association between adolescent bullying behaviour and subsequent anti-social behaviour, among a community sample of Australian males and females. METHODS: Regression analysis was used to examine the relationship between bullying perpetration at age 13-14 and anti-social behaviour, criminal violence and contact with police or courts 6 and 10 years later among approximately 800 young adults participating in a 27-year longitudinal study. The analyses controlled for known risk factors for anti-social behaviour at age 13-14 years. RESULTS: Moderate significant associations were found between bullying perpetration and subsequent anti-social behaviour. Associations were more powerful for males than females, and for short-term than long-term outcomes. Engagement in bullying remained a significant predictor of later anti-social behaviour and contact with police or courts even after other risk factors were accounted for. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that bullying in adolescence may be a marker of risk for a continuing pattern of anti-social behaviour, particularly among young males.

Predictors of positive development in emerging adulthood.

This article responds to recent calls for a focus on successful development in young people and examination of its developmental precursors, in order to identify potentially modifiable targets for interventions. The current study examined child and adolescent precursors of positive functioning in emerging adulthood, including individual characteristics, relationship factors, and connections to the community, using a multidimensional positive development measure at 19-20 years. The sample consisted of 511 males and 647 females who were participants in the Australian Temperament Project, a population based longitudinal study that has followed young people's psychosocial adjustment from infancy to early adulthood. Higher levels of positive development in emerging adulthood were associated with stronger family and peer relationships, better adjustment to the school setting, higher family socioeconomic status, and better emotional control. Some significant gender differences were observed, with emotional control, family relationships, and community orientation all being stronger predictors of males' than of females' positive development. The findings provide possible targets for child and adolescent interventions to promote positive development in early adulthood.

Risky driving among young Australian drivers II: Co-occurrence with other problem behaviours.

This study examined the co-occurrence of risky driving with a range of externalising and internalising problems among 1055 young Australian drivers participating in an ongoing, 23-year longitudinal study. This issue was examined by: (1) investigating the co-occurrence of risky driving and other problem outcomes at 19-20 years; (2) exploring the rate of single and multiple problems among high, moderate and low young risky drivers and (3) investigating connections between risky driving in early adulthood and adolescent problem behaviours. Concurrent and longitudinal associations between risky driving and both substance use (alcohol, cigarette and marijuana use, binge drinking) and antisocial behaviour were found. However, risky driving generally appeared unrelated to internalising problems (depression, anxiety) and early sexual activity. Overall, young risky drivers varied considerably in the number and types of problem behaviours exhibited, although the great majority (70%) had displayed at least one other type of problem behaviour.

Risky driving among young Australian drivers: trends, precursors and correlates.

Young drivers are significantly over-represented among those injured or killed in road traffic accidents. Young adults' greater tendency to engage in risky driving behaviours has been implicated in their high crash involvement rate. While considerable research has examined the driving patterns of young adults and situational factors associated with their involvement in crashes, less is known about the characteristics or circumstances in young drivers' earlier lives that may have contributed to their current driving behaviour. This issue was explored using data from the Australian Temperament Project (ATP), a large longitudinal community-based study, which commenced in 1983 with 2443 families and has followed children's psychosocial development from infancy to early adulthood. During the most recent survey wave when participants were aged 19-20 years, information was collected from young adults about their driving experiences and behaviour. A series of analyses indicated that it was possible to distinguish a group of young adults who engaged in high risky driving behaviour (high group) from a group who engaged in low levels of risky driving behaviour (low group) from mid childhood. Young drivers with a tendency towards risky driving differed from others on aspects of temperament style, behaviour problems, social competence, school adjustment and interpersonal relationships. The implications of these findings for initiatives to reduce risky driving behaviour are discussed.