Abstract: Tolerance of Deviance in Early Adolescents with Prenatal Cocaine Exposure: A Latent Class Analysis (Society for Social Work and Research 23rd Annual Conference - Ending Gender Based, Family and Community Violence)

Schedule:

Sunday, January 20, 2019: 9:30 AM

Union Square 17 Tower 3, 4th Floor (Hilton San Francisco)

* noted as presenting author

June-Yung Kim, MA, Research Fellow, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH

Sonia Minnes, PhD, Associate Professor, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH

Ty Ridenour, Scientist, Research Triangle International, NC

Lynn Singer, PhD, Professor, Case Western Reserve University, OH

Background and Purpose: Problem behavior theory states that youth tolerance of deviance (TOD) precedes their risky behaviors in general populations. To test this in youth with prenatal cocaine exposure (PCE), we: 1) identified patterns of TOD in PCE early adolescents and 2) validated TOD latent classes compared to individual characteristics and behavioral outcomes. Elevated TOD classes were hypothesized to have greater substance abuse risk factors.

Methods: Using data from 306 9 through 12-year-olds (153 PCE, 153 no PCE; 51.3% girls) recruited at birth to study PCE effects, latent class analysis (LCA) was conducted on 7 TOD items from the Assessment of Liability and Exposure to Substance Use and Antisocial Behavior Scale (ALEXSA) at each age. Multinomial logistic regression estimated significance of gender, PCE and irritability at age 11 in determining 12-year class membership. Early substance use (≤12yrs) and sexual intercourse (<15yrs) and substance use at age 15 were respectively regressed on the emergent latent classes.

Results: Three latent classes were replicated among ages: Tolerance of All Deviance (TAD; 12%), Tolerance of Impulsive Deviance (TID; 30%), and Intolerance (INT; 58%). PCE (OR=2.5, 95%CI=1.1-5.9, p<.03) and irritability (OR=2.4, 95%CI=1.1-5.1, p<.03) were associated with the TID class vs. the INT class. Boys were 3.3 times more likely than girls to be in the TAD class vs. the INT class (95%CI=1.1-10.1, p<.04). Compared to the INT class, the TID class was associated with early substance use (OR=1.8, 95%CI=1.0-3.2, p<.04) and sexual intercourse (OR=2.2, 95%CI=1.3-4.0, p<.01) and alcohol use at age 15 (OR=2.5, 95%CI=1.0-6.2, p<.05). The TAD class was not associated with any risk behavior.

Conclusions and Implications: TID emerged as a distinct class, determined by PCE and irritability, and was linked to risk behaviors. Identifying TOD patterns in early adolescence may facilitate etiology research and prevention strategies.