Developmental aspects of delinquency and internalizing problems and their association with persistent juvenile substance use between ages 7 and 18

Analyzed longitudinal data from 3 samples of the Pittsburgh Youth Study on boys ages 7 to 18 to examine the co-occurrence of persistent substance use with other problem behaviors, including attention deficit hyperactivity dis order (ADHD), persistent delinquency, and persistent internalizing problems (i.e., depressed mead, anxiety, shy or withdrawn behavior). In preadolesce nce, persistent substance users-also tended to be persistent delinquents, a nd half of this group displayed persistent internalizing problems as well. In adolescence a third of the persistent substance users did not manifest o ther persistent problems. Across the samples, the least common substance us ers were those who manifested persistent internalizing problems only. Logis tic regression analyses showed that persistent substance use in preadolesce nce was predicted by persistent delinquency and internalizing problems and in adolescence by persistent delinquency only. The combination of persisten t substance use and delinquency was predicted by oppositional defiant disor der in middle childhood and by persistent internalizing problems in middle to late childhood ADHD was not a predictor of persistent substance use (and delinquency) in any of the analyses. Results are discussed in terms of dev elopmental models of multiproblem youth with an eye an improving early inte rventions.