CHILDHOOD AND ADULTHOOD TEMPERAMENT AND PROBLEM BEHAVIORS AND ADULTHOOD SUBSTANCE USE

A sample of 229 adult men and women were assessed to examine the relat ionships between childhood and adulthood temperament and problem behav iors. The influence of these variables on adult substance use was also assessed. Results indicated that individuals who had ''difficult'' te mperament characteristics (e.g., hyperactivity) and who experienced pr oblem behaviors (e.g., antisocial behaviors) as children were likely t o exhibit them as adults. In addition, the continuation of temperament characteristics and problem behaviors from childhood into adulthood d id not demonstrate a high degree of specificity. When the relationship s between temperament and problem behaviors to substance use were exam ined, conduct disorder during childhood and antisocial behavior during adulthood were found to be the best predictors of adult substance abu se. Moreover, this relationship became increasingly stronger with more substance involvement. These results underscore the importance of exa mining substance use in finer detail by assessing the pattern of subst ance use, instead of overall substance use involvement.