The relation of adolescent substance use to young adult autonomy, positiveactivity involvement, and perceived competence

Thr current paper uses data from a longitudinal study of a high-risk sample to test the relation between adolescent alcohol and drug use and later you ng adult autonomy, positive activity involvement, and perceived competence. Participants (children of alcoholics and demographically matched controls) were assessed in three annual interviews in adolescence (mean age: 12.7 ye ars at Time 1) and then again 5-7 years later, in young adulthood (median a ge; 20 years). Path analyses and latent growth curve models tested the effe cts of adolescent substance use on both self-reported and collateral-report ed outcomes, controlling for correlated risk factors (parental alcoholism, adolescent psychopathology, and parental support), preexisting levels of th e outcome, and concurrent young adult substance use. Results showed that ad olescent drug use had a significant, unique negative effect on later autono my and perceived competence. Alcohol use effects were more complex. Adolesc ent heavy drinking was associated with less positive adult outcomes, but mo re so in collateral reports than in self-reported outcomes. Moreover. young adult heavy drinking was either uncorrelated with or positively correlated with higher levels of perceived competence, suggesting different developme ntal significance of alcohol use in adolescence than in young adulthood.