Rick Kosterman

Modeling the Etiology of Adolescent Substance Use: A Test of the Social Development Model

The social development model is a general theory of human behavior that seeks to explain antisocial behaviors through specification of predictive developmental relationships. It incorporates the effects of empirical predictors (“risk factors” and “protective factors”) for antisocial behavior and attempts to synthesize the most strongly supported propositions of control theory, social learning theory, and differential association theory. This article examines the power of social development model constructs measured at ages 9 to 10 and 13 to 14 to predict drug use at ages 17 to 18. The sample of 590 is from the longitudinal panel of the Seattle Social Development Project, which in 1985 sampled fifth grade students from high crime neighborhoods in Seattle, Washington. Structural equation modeling techniques were used to examine the fit of the model to the data. Although all but one path coefficient were significant and in the expected direction, the model did not fit the data as well as expected (CF1=.87). We next specified second-order factors for each path to capture the substantial common variance in the constructs opportunities, involvement, and rewards. This model fit the data well (CFI=.90). We conclude that the social development model provides an acceptable fit to predict drug use at ages 17 to 18. Implications for the temporal nature of key constructs and for prevention are discussed.

Effects of Social Development Intervention in Childhood 15 Years Later

OBJECTIVEnTo examine the long-term effects of a universal intervention in elementary schools in promoting positive functioning in school, work, and community, and preventing mental health problems, risky sexual behavior, substance misuse, and crime at ages 24 and 27 years.nnnDESIGNnNonrandomized controlled trial.nnnSETTINGnFifteen public elementary schools serving diverse neighborhoods including high-crime neighborhoods in Seattle, Washington.nnnPARTICIPANTSnSex-balanced and multiracial/multiethnic sample of 598 participants at ages 24 and 27 years (93% of the original sample in these conditions).nnnINTERVENTIONSnTeacher training in classroom instruction and management, child social and emotional skill development, and parent workshops.nnnMAIN OUTCOME MEASURESnSelf-reports of functioning in school, work, and community and of mental health, sexual behavior, substance use, and crime, and court records.nnnRESULTSnA significant multivariate intervention effect across all 16 primary outcome indices was found. Specific effects included significantly better educational and economic attainment, mental health, and sexual health by age 27 years (all P < .05). Hypothesized effects on substance use and crime were not found at ages 24 or 27 years.nnnCONCLUSIONSnA universal intervention for urban elementary schoolchildren, which focused on classroom management and instruction, childrens social competence, and parenting practices, positively affected mental health, sexual health, and educational and economic achievement 15 years after the intervention ended.

Effects of a preventive parent-training intervention on observed family interactions: proximal outcomes from preparing for the drug free years

Children are especially vulnerable to the initiation of substance use and other problem behaviors as they move from childhood into early adolescence. This is true for children living in urban and rural areas alike. A number of family-related factors have been identified that contribute to the risk for or protection against such problems. This article reports the results of an experimental test of the effects of Preparing for the Drug Free Years (PDFY) on targeted parental behaviors. PDFY is a parenting curriculum based theoretically on the social development model; it seeks to reduce risks and enhance protection against early substance use initiation by improving patterns of parental behavior and family interaction predictive of childhood substance use. The study examined parental behavior targeted by specific intervention sessions, based on systematic observations of videotaped family interactions. The sample consisted of economically stressed, rural Midwestern families. Consistent with hypotheses, the PDFY intervention was found to be effective in promoting proactive communication from parent to child and in improving the quality of parent-child relationships. PDFY also reduced mothers negative interactions with their children in the study.

Effects of the “Preparing for the Drug Free Years” Curriculum on Growth in Alcohol Use and Risk for Alcohol Use in Early Adolescence

AbstractPreparing for the Drug-Free Years (PDFY) is a curriculum designed to help parents learn skills to consistently communicate clear norms against adolescent substance use, effectively and proactively manage their families, reduce family conflict, and help their children learn skills to resist antisocial peer influences. This study examined the effects of PDFY on the trajectories of these factors, as well as on the trajectory of alcohol use from early to mid adolescence. The sample consisted of 424 rural families of sixth graders from schools randomly assigned to an intervention or a control condition. Data were collected from both parents and students at pretest, posttest, and 1-, 2- and 3n

Growth in adolescent delinquency and alcohol use in relation to young adult crime, alcohol use disorders, and risky sex: a comparison of youth from low- versus middle-income backgrounds

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Reducing Adolescents' Growth in Substance Use and Delinquency: Randomized Trial Effects of a Parent-Training Prevention Intervention

n-year follow-ups. Latent growth models were examined. PDFY significantly reduced the growth of alcohol use and improved parent norms regarding adolescent alcohol use over time. Implications for prevention and evaluation are discussed.

Adolescent School Failure Predicts Later Depression Among Girls

OBJECTIVEnThis study examined childhood behavior problems at ages 10 and 11 years as predictors of young adult depression, social phobia, and violence at age 21 years.nnnMETHODnData were collected as part of the Seattle Social Development Project, a longitudinal study of 808 elementary school students from high-crime neighborhoods of Seattle. Reports of childhood behavior problems were obtained from parents and children in fall 1985 and from teachers in spring 1986. Follow-up reports of violence and DSM-III-R depression and social phobia were collected from 765 respondents using standard survey items and the Diagnostic Interview Schedule in 1996.nnnRESULTSnThe past-year prevalences of depressive episode and social phobia were 20% and 17%, respectively. Twenty-one percent of the respondents reported two or more violent acts in the past year at age 21 years. Several available measures of childhood behavior problems as reported by parents, teachers, and children predicted violence (e.g., conduct problems, oppositional defiance); the strongest positive predictor of young adult violence was self-reported conduct problems, whereas self-reported shyness inhibited later violence. Relatively few child behavioral problems predicted social phobia (e.g., shyness). Results showed that children who reported higher, relative to lower, levels of conduct problems were nearly four times more likely to experience a depressive episode in early adulthood.nnnCONCLUSIONSnFindings suggest the potential value of intervening to reduce childhood conduct problems as a prevention strategy for not only violence but also depression.

Early Adolescent Predictors of Youth Violence as Mediators of Childhood Risks.

BACKGROUNDnThis study examined adolescent delinquency and alcohol use in relation to young adult crime, alcohol use disorders (AUDs), and risky sex. Analyses further examined the influences of late childhood involvement in these problem behavior outcomes, with mediation through teen delinquency and alcohol use, and examined differences in the pathways for youth from low- compared to middle-income backgrounds.nnnMETHODnMultiple-group latent growth curve modeling was conducted using data collected from a sample of 808 youth followed from age 10 to age 24. Self-report assessments included delinquent involvement, alcohol use, and sexual activity in late childhood; delinquency and alcohol use in adolescence; and crime, AUDs, and risky sex in early adulthood.nnnRESULTSnLate childhood delinquent involvement was associated with young adult crime, AUDs, and risky sex indirectly through adolescent delinquency, and had a persistent direct effect on crime. Adolescent delinquency also mediated the relation between early sex onset and crime. Early alcohol use predicted a higher level of, and a faster rate of increase in, adolescent drinking, which predicted, in turn, young adult AUDs and risky sex. Significant group differences indicated stronger associations between adolescent delinquency and each young adult outcome for youth from low- compared to those from middle-income backgrounds.nnnCONCLUSIONSnEarly intervention may help prevent the development of crime, AUDs, and risky sex behaviors, especially among disadvantaged youth.