Substance use and abuse during adolescence and the transition to adulthood are developmental phenomena: Conceptual and empirical considerations

This chapter describes characteristics of a developmental perspective on substance use regarding age curves; heterogeneity in course; embeddedness within all else that is changing developmentally and historically; and a life course emphasis on distal upstream predictors and downstream consequences as well as more proximal developmental mechanisms and consequences, including transitions, turning points, and developmental disturbances. The chapter then describes the developmental and historical context of adolescence and the transition to adulthood, followed by a consideration of key conceptual issues related to developmental continuity, discontinuity, and transitions. Next, it examines implications for understanding risk and protective factors for, and consequences of, substance use during adolescence and the transition to adulthood. it concludes with a discussion of opportunities and challenges for future research.