Earlier Theft and Violence as Predictors of Concurrent Alcohol and Marijuana Use in Adulthood

• In Event: Posters I

Abstract

We examine the extent of concurrent weekly alcohol and marijuana use in adulthood and whether earlier theft and violence predict concurrent use. Data come from the Pittsburgh Youth Study youngest (N=400) and oldest (N=407) cohorts, who were interviewed annually from age 7-20 and 13-26, respectively, and re-interviewed at ages 29 and 36, respectively. In adulthood, 50% used neither alcohol nor marijuana at least weekly, 29% used only alcohol at least weekly, 9% used only marijuana at least weekly, and 12% used both alcohol and marijuana at least weekly. Black, compared to white, men were significantly more likely to use marijuana at least weekly in adulthood but group differences by cohort were not significant. Multinomial logistic regression analyses controlling for race found that men who engaged in violence during adolescence were more likely to be regular marijuana users in adulthood than to be in the other three groups; men who engaged in theft during adolescence were more likely to be regular marijuana users in adulthood than non-regular users/abstainers or regular alcohol users. Offending in emerging adulthood did not differentiate groups. Thus, adolescent offending is related to adult regular marijuana use in the absence of regular alcohol use.

Authors

• Helene R. White, Rutgers University

• Jordan Bechtold, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center

• Dustin Pardini, Arizona State University