LOS ANGELES – Sixth graders who showed an aggressive temperament and/or symptoms of depression were more likely than their peers to begin using alcohol and other drugs by eighth grade, according to study findings presented as a poster at the annual meeting of the Society for Adolescent Medicine.
It was the third independent risk factor researchers detected–an early onset of puberty–that was less predictable, and it might be an early red flag for physicians.
Dr. Carolyn A. McCarty and associates from the University of Washington, Seattle, departments of pediatrics and psychology recruited 521 sixth graders from public schools in the Seattle area, interviewing them every 6 months for 2.5 years, until they entered the eighth grade.
Children with conduct problems and/or depressive symptoms on a psychological instrument were oversampled in the survey.
At the study's onset, 5.4% of sixth graders were using any substance, with alcohol the most common (4.2%).
By the study's conclusion, 16.7% of the eighth grade subjects reported using alcohol (13.2%), marijuana (6.8%), tobacco (4.2%), and/or other illicit substances (1.5%).
Sex, race, frustrated temperament, and externalizing symptoms were not significantly, independently associated with initiation of substance, but several factors were, after adjustment for other variables. Most pronounced were aggressive temperament, pubertal status, and depressive symptoms, Dr. McCarty and her colleagues found.
The link to early puberty (by sixth grade) found by the investagators is consistent with previous research that examined initiation of alcohol use.
However, the reason for this association remains unclear, according to Dr. McCarty, who is a psychologist who with a dual appointment in pediatrics and psychology at the university.
She suggested that providers take note when a girl or boy enters puberty early (by sixth grade), or shows signs of aggression and/or depression and do a more thorough risk assessment of behavior.
The research was supported by grants from the National Institute of Mental Health.