Publication Highlights

Background

Adolescent polysubstance use has been associated with adverse social and health outcomes. Australian Parental Supply of Alcohol Longitudinal Study’s aim in this study was to measure rates and transitions to polysubstance use during adolescence and identify factors associated with initiation and discontinuation of polysubstance use.

Design

Prospective cohort study. Multistate Markov modelling was used to estimate rates and identify correlates of transitions between substance use states.

Setting and participants

Adolescent-parent dyads (n = 1927; adolescents in grade 7, age ≈13 years) were recruited from Australian schools during 2010/11 (Wave 1). Adolescents were surveyed annually until 2016/17 (n = 1503; age ≈19 years; Wave 7) and parents were surveyed annually until 2014/15 (Wave 5).

Measurements

Alcohol, tobacco, cannabis and 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) use outcomes were collected at Waves 3–7. Potential confounders were collected at Waves 1–6 and consisted of sex, anxiety and depression symptoms and externalizing problems, parental monitoring, family conflict and cohesion, parental substance use and peer substance use. Covariates were age and family socioeconomic status.

Read the full article in Addiction