Childhood Risk Factors and Adolescent Drug and Alcohol Abuse

Childhood risk factors for adolescent drug and alcohol abuse are reviewed. Childhood personality manifesting the "difficult child" syndrome and psychopathological features of hyperactivity and antisocial traits are predictive of later substance abuse, especially when these traits persist into adolescence. Key interpersonal risk factors include family mismanagement, parental substance use, low academic performance and commitment, and association with substance-using peers. A schema outlines postulated predictive paths of substance use that are comprised of various risk factors. The source of origin, time of emergence, and quantity of risk factors are proposed to account for differing levels of substance involvement.