Dichotic listening deficits and the prediction of substance use in young boys

Objective: Prior studies note relationships among verbal deficits, disrupti ve psychopathology, and substance use. The current study examines the relat ionship between verbal deficits, assessed through a dichotic listening test , and children's substance use. Method: A series of 87 young boys was prosp ectively followed over a 1- to 2-year period. A prior study in these boys n oted a cross-sectional relationship between disruptive psychopathology and deficits on a dichotic consonant-vowel listening test. The current study ex amines the predictive relationship between this language-related deficit at one study wave and substance use assessed during a follow-up study wave. R esults: Reduced right ear accuracy, reflecting a deficit in left hemisphere processing ability, predicted substance use at follow-up. This association was independent of any other predictors, including cognitive or behavioral indices of substance use risk. Conclusions: A lateralized deficit in verba l processing on a dichotic listening task predicts change in substance use by follow-up. Findings are consistent with other evidence linking early chi ldhood lateralization abnormalities to development of disruptive psychopath ology.