Drug Use and Delinquent Behavior

Abstract

The continuity of self-reported heavy alcohol and marijuana use and self-reported delinquency among adolescents is examined using latent growth model analyses in a sample of 278 justice-involved juveniles completing at least one of three follow-up interviews as part of a National Institute on Drug Abuse—funded study. Latent growth models are analyzed examining (a) changes in heavy alcohol and marijuana use over time, (b) changes in delinquency over time, and (c) the contemporaneous, parallel processes of changes in substance use and delinquency over time. Results indicate that substance use increased over time, whereas delinquency decreased over time. However, the growth model examining the simultaneous influence of delinquency on substance use suggests that delinquency exacerbated substance use over time. Implications for policy and intervention service needs are discussed.