Personality factors associated with alcohol, tobacco and marijuana use in adolescents: A longitudinal study

Abstract

Longitudinal studies examining how personality variables predict substance use in adolescents in Latin America are scarce. This study examined variations in alcohol, tobacco, and cannabis use over three years among Argentinian adolescents, and assessed how impulsivity and risk-taking (at Time 1) prospectively discriminate between adolescents with and without binge drinking, tobacco and cannabis use at Time 3. A longitudinal design was employed. A total of 1080 adolescents (M=12.27 years, SD=0.952; 54% girls) from Córdoba (Argentina) completed, once per year for three years, a risk-taking task (BART) and a survey assessing substance use and trait impulsivity. Drug use increased over time, reaching lifetime prevalence rates of 85% (alcohol), 18% (tobacco), and 8% (cannabis) at the final assessment. Tobacco use was significantly higher (p ≤ .05) among girls and cannabis use was higher (p ≤ .01) among boys. Higher levels of negative urgency (PR = 1.023), lack of premeditation (PR = 1.025), lack of perseverance (PR = 1.045), sensation seeking (PR = 1.036), and risk-taking (PR = 1.008) at baseline were associated with a higher prevalence of BD two years later. Higher levels of lack of perseverance (PR = 1.033) and sensation seeking (PR = 1.029) were associated with a higher subsequent prevalence of tobacco use. Lack of premeditation (PR = 1.057), lack of perseverance (PR = 1.042), sensation seeking (PR = 1.033), and risk-taking (PR = 1.019) were associated with a higher subsequent prevalence of marijuana use. Adolescents with higher levels of impulsivity and risk-taking constitute a relevant subpopulation for the design of preventive interventions aimed at delaying the onset and progression towards problematic substance use.