Long-term consequences of membership in trajectory groups of delinquent behavior in an urban sample: violence, drug use, interpersonal, and neighborhood attributes.

Research on stability and change in delinquent behavior over time has important implications for both the individual and the criminal justice system. The present research looks at this issue by examining the associations between the trajectories of delinquent behavior in adolescence and adult functioning. Data for the present study are from a four-wave longitudinal study of African American and Hispanic participants. Participants provided information at mean ages 14, 19, 24, and 29. We used growth mixture modeling to extract trajectory groups of delinquent behavior in adolescence and young adulthood. Regression analyses were conducted to examine whether memberships in the trajectory groups of delinquent behavior from mean age 14 to mean age 24 were associated with violence, substance abuse and dependence, partner discord, peer substance use, and residence in a high-crime neighborhood at mean age 29 when compared with the reference trajectory group of participants with low or no delinquent behavior. Four trajectory groups of delinquent behavior were identified: the no/low, the decreasing, the moderate, and the high persistent trajectory groups. Memberships in the trajectory groups were significantly correlated with variations in adult functioning. Memberships in some trajectory groups of delinquent behavior are significant predictors of later violent behavior, substance abuse and dependence, partner discord, peer substance use, and residence in a high-crime neighborhood. The findings reinforce the importance of investing in interventions to address different patterns of delinquent behavior. Findings are discussed in relation to previous investigations with non-Hispanic White samples.

Individuality and contextual influences on drug dependence: a 15-year Prospective longitudinal study of adolescents from Harlem.

In this 15-year longitudinal study the authors investigated individual and contextual factors that predispose adolescents from a disadvantaged urban area to drug dependence in adulthood. Adolescents were recruited from schools serving East Harlem in New York City. Of the 838 participants followed to adulthood, 59% were women, 55% were African American, and 45% were Puerto Rican. Self-report data were obtained on externalizing and internalizing problems, substance use, and contextual influences across adolescence and young adulthood. Drug dependence was assessed in adulthood. Multivariate logistic regressions of drug dependence were performed on the whole sample and separately by gender. Each of the domains was associated with adult drug dependence. Although mean gender differences were found, most associations of risk factors with drug dependence did not vary significantly by gender. Treating externalizing and internalizing problems, reducing substance use, and providing coping skills for adverse contextual influences in adolescence and young adulthood may reduce the likelihood of becoming drug dependent in adulthood.

Comorbid trajectories of tobacco and marijuana use as related to psychological outcomes.

Heterogeneous classes of comorbid trajectories of tobacco and marijuana use were examined in order to determine how they are related to subsequent antisocial behavior, poor self-control, and internalizing behavior. Data are from a 4-wave longitudinal study of African American (n = 243) and Puerto Rican (n = 232) adolescents and adults in the community. Logistic regression analyses were employed to measure the association between the comorbid trajectories of tobacco and marijuana use and the psychological difficulty variables. The authors found 6 joint trajectory groups. The authors compared the non-or-experimental tobacco/marijuana use group with the other user groups in each of the psychological difficulty domains. The infrequent tobacco/late-onset marijuana use and chronic tobacco/marijuana use groups differed most strongly from the non-or-experimental tobacco/marijuana use group across the antisocial behavior, poor self-control, and internalizing problems domains. The chronic tobacco/maturing out marijuana use group also had significant associations in each of these domains. The infrequent tobacco/marijuana use and late-onset tobacco/infrequent marijuana use groups had no or weak associations with the psychological outcomes. Tobacco and marijuana cessation programs should identify and address comorbid use of tobacco and marijuana, and antisocial behavior, poor self-control, and internalizing problems, which are associated with histories of comorbid use of the 2 substances.

The Association of Externalizing Behavior and Parent-Child Relationships: An Intergenerational Study.

We investigated the influence of the child's behavior on the quality of the mutual parent-child attachment relationships across three generations. We did so using a prospective longitudinal study which spanned 20 years from adolescence through adulthood. Study participants completed in-class questionnaires as students in the East Harlem area of New York City at the first wave and provided follow-up data at 4 additional points in time. 390 participants were included in these analyses; 59% female, 45% African American, and 55% Puerto Rican. Using structural equation modeling, we determined that externalizing behavior in the child was negatively related to the mutual parent-child attachment relationship for two generations of children. We also found continuity in externalizing behavior for the participant over time and from the participant to his/her child. Additionally, we found continuity in the quality of the mutual attachment relationship from the participant's relationship with his/her parents to the participant's relationship with his/her child. Finally, the mutual attachment relationship of the participant with his/her parents had a negative association with the participant's externalizing behavior in adulthood. Based on these results, we propose that family interventions should focus on the role of the child's externalizing behavior in the context of the parent-child attachment relationship. Furthermore, we suggest that prevention programs should address externalizing behavior as early as possible, as the effects of externalizing behavior in adolescence can persist into adulthood and extend to the next generation.

Developmental trajectories of marijuana use from adolescence to adulthood: personality and social role outcomes.

Longitudinal trajectories of marijuana use from adolescence into adulthood were examined for adverse life-course outcomes among African-Americans and Puerto Ricans. Data for marijuana use were analyzed at four points in time and on participants' personality attributes, work functioning, and partner relations in adulthood using growth mixture modeling. Each of the three marijuana-use trajectory groups (maturing-out, late-onset, and chronic marijuana-users) had greater adverse life-course outcomes than a nonuse or low-use trajectory group. The chronic marijuana-use trajectory group was highly associated with criminal behavior and partners' marijuana use in adulthood. Treatment programs for marijuana use should also directly address common adverse life-course outcomes users may already be experiencing.

Course of comorbidity of tobacco and marijuana use: psychosocial risk factors.

INTRODUCTION: This longitudinal study examined the psychosocial factors associated with the comorbidity of pairs of tobacco and marijuana use trajectories from adolescence extending into adulthood in two ethnic groups, Blacks and Puerto Ricans. METHODS: Data on psychosocial functioning and tobacco and marijuana use at four points in time were obtained. RESULTS: The association between the trajectories of tobacco and marijuana use was quite high. Pairs of comorbid trajectories of tobacco and marijuana use may share at least three kinds of influence: (a) a constellation of externalizing personality risk factors, (b) Depressive Mood and low Ego Integration, and (c) identification with certain group values. DISCUSSION: Knowledge of the risk and protective factors for pairs of comorbid trajectories of use may strengthen the foundation for individual and group targets for prevention and treatment programs.

"The red zone": temporal risk for unwanted sex among college students.

The "red zone" usually refers to the first few weeks of the first semester at college, when female students are believed to be at greatest risk for experiencing unwanted sex. We tested this notion using data from a survey study of 207 first-and second-year students (121 women, 84 men) at a small, liberal arts university. Results demonstrated only one significant elevation in incidence rates of first- and second-year women's unwanted sexual experiences (sexual touching, attempted and completed anal, oral, and vaginal sex), between the end of the first month and fall break (mid-October) during the second year at school. Previous research and local information about the relevant behaviors of sorority and fraternity members is discussed in light of these findings to provide heuristic material for further empirical testing. Because risk may involve both temporal and situational factors, systematic collection and dissemination of local data are recommended.