Based on Research Conducted at OSLC
Study examining the persistence and desistance of use of alcohol and other substances in early midadulthood for men from at-risk backgrounds.
Project Overview
Alcohol use in early mid-adulthood is extremely costly at the personal, family, community, and national levels, and is associated with early mortality. Alcohol abuse/dependence is the most common of all disorders for men. The economic costs of alcohol abuse and dependence were estimated at close to $200 billion in the U.S. in 1998. This comprehensive longitudinal study across the lifespan from childhood to mid-adulthood examined the persistence and desistance of use of alcohol and other substances for men from at-risk backgrounds. Using a Dynamic Developmental Systems approach, based on aspects of past and current social-contextual influences, differing adult pathways in the course of alcohol use and alcohol use disorders are modeled, and predictors of the course, including general and specific risk factors within the realms of family, peer, psychopathology, and early to mid-adult risk and social influences, including romantic partner behaviors, were examined. In addition, the co-occurring use of other substances (tobacco, marijuana, other illicit drugs, non-prescription and over-the-counter drugs), and gambling behavior were examined. Prediction models of treatment seeking were also examined.
Year Project Began: 2009Funder: National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism