SUBSTANCE USE AND PERSONAL ADJUSTMENT AMONG DISADVANTAGED TEENAGERS -A 6-MONTH PROSPECTIVE-STUDY

Using a 2-wave longitudinal design with a 6-month interval, associatio ns were examined between substance use and emotional/behavioral adjust ment among 138 inner-city ninth-grade students. Substance use was oper ationalized in terms of self-reported severity of problems associated with use of alcohol, marijuana, and other drugs. Adjustment was measur ed based on various sources including ratings by the self by peers, an d by teachers, as well as school records. Cross-sectional data indicat ed that drug use showed associations in expected directions with all i ndices of adjustment with the exception of peer-rated sociability. Lon gitudinal analyses indicated that high level of drug use early in the year were related to subsequent increases in behavioral and emotional maladjustment. Early maladjustment, across different domains, converse ly, was minimally associated with escalations in drug use. Results are discussed in terms of mechanisms potentially underlying prospective a ssociations, as well as implications for interventions.