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Previous studies have demonstrated high intercorrelations among deviant peer affiliation [DP], substance use [SU], externalizing [EXT] and internalizing [INT] symptoms in adolescence. However, prior studies have been limited because they did not examine 1) the associations over time by assuming one particular sequence; 2) the effects of child maltreatment; or 3) gender differences. Guided by selection and socialization effects of peers, as well as developmental psychopathology perspective, the current study’s aims are: 1) to examine the stability effects within the domain (i.e., DP, EXT, INT, and SU); 2) to scrutinize the stability and the role of child maltreatment; 3) to investigate reciprocal relations among DP, EXT, and INT linking between child maltreatment and adolescent SU; and 4) to explore gender differences in the developmental cascade model.
Methods:
Using the Longitudinal Studies of Child Abuse and Neglect (LONGSCAN), this study included 617 adolescents (54.3% female, 55.6% Black, and 26.8% low income) who completed at least two waves of data collection (ages 12, 14, 16, and 18 years). DP was assessed at ages 12, 14, and 16, using 13 items from the modified version of the Youth Risk Behavior and Monitoring the Future Survey. EXT and INT were measured at ages 12, 14, and 16 years using the Child Behavior Checklist. Each type of maltreatment (birth to age 12), including physical, sexual, and emotional abuse, were assessed using the LONGSCAN developed self-reports. The number of substances (ages 12, 16, and 18) were created by summing the self-reported alcohol, tobacco, and marijuana use in the past year. Adolescent’s gender, race, and household income were used as covariates. Autoregressive cross-lagged structural equation modeling frameworks with MLR estimation were employed using Mplus 8.3.
Results:
The final cascade model produced an excellent fit: CFI = .996; RMSEA = .029 [90% CI = .003 – .047]; SRMR = .012. Results demonstrated the stability effects within each domain and how different maltreatment types set off diverse developmental processes. Physical abuse was only associated with EXT, while sexual abuse was associated with both EXT and INT. Additionally, emotional abuse was associated with DP and SU. Cross-lagged results showed the socialization effects on SU (DP leads to SU) and peer-selection effects on EXT (EXT leads to DP). Multigroup cross-lagged model for gender differences yielded a good fit: CFI = .982; RMSEA = .050 [90% CI = .034 - .064]; SRMR = .030. The role of EXT differed by gender: for girls, EXT predicted DP, while boys’ EXT was associated with INT and SU. Girls’ early DP was associated with less INT in late adolescence.
Conclusion:
Identifying the underlying reciprocal processes offers meaningful implications. First, addressing DP and EXT can be helpful to prevent subsequent adolescent SU, because DP is the catalyst for SU, while EXT initiates DP. Second, the effects of different maltreatment type underline the need for an early assessment of different maltreatment experiences and a provision of interventions based on maltreatment. Lastly, gender differences in the processes suggested that practitioners could tailor gender-sensitive interventions.