Study participants consisted of youth under the age of 15 who were already using alcohol and or drugs. Half of the participants came from criminal, abusive, or substance-abusing households; the other half came from stable households with no history of behavior problems. As a result of substance abuse, both groups had a higher risk for negative outcomes.
In particular, the study found that the "good kids," who had no history of childhood behavior problems and no family risk factors, but began using drugs and alcohol before age 15, were ultimately 3.6 times more likely to be dependent on substances at age 32. They were also at higher risk for a criminal conviction and herpes infection. About the study, Nagin said, "This [study] challenges the conventional wisdom that kids who abuse drugs and alcohol were already troubled before they started using."
The study was co-authored by Carnegie Mellon University Professor Dan Nagin, and published by the online journal Psychological Science. (Source: Ascribe Newswire)
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