Citation

Howard AL, Molina BS, Swanson JM, Hinshaw SP, Belendiuk KA, Harty SC, Arnold LE, Abikoff HB, Hechtman L, Stehli A, Greenhill LL, Newcorn JH, Wigal T. Addiction 2015; 110(5): 784-795.

Affiliation

Department of Psychology, Carleton University, Ottawa, ON, Canada.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2015, John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

10.1111/add.12880

PMID

25664657

Abstract

AIMS: To examine the association between developmental trajectories of inattention, hyperactivity-impulsivity, and delinquency through childhood and adolescence (ages 8-16) and subsequent binge drinking and marijuana use in early adulthood (age 21).

DESIGN: Prospective naturalistic follow-up of children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) previously enrolled in a randomized controlled trial (RCT). Treatment-phase assessments occurred at 3, 9, and 14 months after randomization; follow-up assessments occurred at 24 months, 36 months, and 6, 8, and 12 years after randomization. SETTING: Secondary analysis of data from the Multimodal Treatment Study of ADHD (MTA), a multi-site RCT comparing the effects of careful medication management, intensive behavior therapy, their combination, and referral to usual community care. PARTICIPANTS: 579 children with DSM-IV ADHD combined type, aged 7.0 and 9.9 years old at baseline (M=8.5, SD=.80). MEASUREMENTS: Ratings of inattention, hyperactivity-impulsivity, and delinquency were collected from multiple informants at baseline and through the 8-year follow-up. Self-reports of binge drinking and marijuana use were collected at the 12-year follow-up (M age 21).

FINDINGS: Trajectories of worsening inattention symptoms and delinquency (and less apparent improvement in hyperactivity-impulsivity) were associated with higher rates of early adult binge drinking and marijuana use, compared with trajectories of stable or improving symptoms and delinquency (of 24 comparisons, 22 p-values <.05), even when symptom levels in stable trajectories were high.

CONCLUSIONS: Worsening inattention symptoms and delinquency during adolescence are associated with increased levels of early adult substance use; this pattern may reflect a developmental course of vulnerability to elevated substance use in early adulthood.

Language: en