Further validation of social impairment as a predictor of substance use disorders: Findings from a sample of siblings of boys with and without ADHD

Examined predictors of substance use disorders in nonreferred siblings of b oys with and without attention deficit hyperactivity disorder to further in vestigate whether previous findings documenting the role of social impairme nt in predicting substance use disorders would be replicated. Participants were comprehensively assessed at Time I and at 4-year follow-up. We found t hat social impairment was the sole significant predictor of alcohol and sub stance abuse and smoking after controlling for other variables previously s hown to be predictors of substance use disorders. These results confirmed p rior findings documenting the critical role of social impairment in predict ing later substance use disorders.