TY - JOUR
T1 - Patterns and correlates of substance use among affluent, suburban high school students
AU - McMahon, Thomas J.
AU - Luthar, Suniya S.
N1 - Funding Information:
This research was supported by Grants K21 DA00202, P50 DA09241, R01 DA10726, and R01 DA11498 from the William T. Grant Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse.
PY - 2006
Y1 - 2006
N2 - Despite ongoing concern about substance use during adolescence, very little is known about alcohol and drug use among teens living in affluent social settings. In this longitudinal study, cluster analysis was used to characterize patterns of substance use and change in other dimensions of psychosocial adjustment within a cohort of 292 high school students (54% girls) living in an affluent, suburban community. When compared with a cluster of students reporting minimal use, clusters reporting escalating, declining, and persistently high use consistently demonstrated relatively poorer psychosocial adjustment. Moreover, other dimensions of psychosocial adjustment remained relatively stable despite changes in substance use, and there were relations involving substance use and other aspects of psychosocial adjustment that may be specific to this social setting. The findings highlight the need for preventive intervention grounded in a clear understanding of developmental process occurring within populations of affluent, suburban teens.
AB - Despite ongoing concern about substance use during adolescence, very little is known about alcohol and drug use among teens living in affluent social settings. In this longitudinal study, cluster analysis was used to characterize patterns of substance use and change in other dimensions of psychosocial adjustment within a cohort of 292 high school students (54% girls) living in an affluent, suburban community. When compared with a cluster of students reporting minimal use, clusters reporting escalating, declining, and persistently high use consistently demonstrated relatively poorer psychosocial adjustment. Moreover, other dimensions of psychosocial adjustment remained relatively stable despite changes in substance use, and there were relations involving substance use and other aspects of psychosocial adjustment that may be specific to this social setting. The findings highlight the need for preventive intervention grounded in a clear understanding of developmental process occurring within populations of affluent, suburban teens.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=32344435064&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=32344435064&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1207/s15374424jccp3501_7
DO - 10.1207/s15374424jccp3501_7
M3 - Article
C2 - 16390304
AN - SCOPUS:32344435064
SN - 1537-4416
VL - 35
SP - 72
EP - 89
JO - Journal of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology
JF - Journal of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology
IS - 1
ER -