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Abstract
Social skills (cooperation, assertion, and self-control) were assessed by teachers for a longitudinal cohort of (pre)adolescents, with measurements at average ages 11.1 (baseline) and 16.3 years (follow-up). Prospective associations with participants' self-reported use of cannabis, (age of) onset of cannabis use, and frequency of use at follow-up were examined using multinomial logistic regression analyses. Teacher-reported social skills predicted different aspects of cannabis use independent of better known factors such as presence of externalizing behavior and use of other substances. The direction of associations depended on the type of social skill. Good cooperation skills during early adolescence were associated with a reduced risk of lifetime cannabis use and a reduced risk of using cannabis on a regular basis. On the other hand, assertion at age 11 increased the risk of lifetime cannabis use and of using cannabis on an experimental basis.
Acknowledgments
This research is part of the TRacking Adolescents' Individual Lives Survey (TRAILS). Participating centers of TRAILS include various departments of the University Medical Center and University of Groningen, the Erasmus University Medical Center Rotterdam, the University of Utrecht, the Radboud Medical Center Nijmegen, and the Trimbos Institute, all in the Netherlands. Principal investigators are prof. Dr. J. Ormel (University Medical Center Groningen) and prof. Dr. F.C. Verhulst (Erasmus University Medical Center).
TRAILS has been financially supported by various grants from the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research NWO (Medical Research Council program grant GB-MW 940-38-011; ZonMW Brainpower grant 100-001-004; ZonMw Risk Behavior and Dependence grants 60-60600-98-018 and 60-60600-97-118; ZonMw Culture and Health grant 261-98-710; Social Sciences Council medium-sized investment grants GB-MaGW 480-01-006 and GB-MaGW 480-07-001; Social Sciences Council project grants GB-MaGW 457-03-018, GBMaGW 452-04-314, and GB-MaGW 452-06-004; NWO large-sized investment grant 175.010.2003.005); the Sophia Foundation for Medical Research (projects 301 and 393), the Dutch Ministry of Justice (WODC), and the participating universities.
We are grateful to all adolescents, their parents, and teachers who participated in this research and to everyone who worked on this project.
Notes
Note: n = 1,363. Fam Vuln Ext. = familial vulnerability externalizing behavior.
*p < .05. **p < .01.
Note: n = 1,363. OR = odds ratio.
*p < .05. **p < .01. ***p < .001.
Note: n = 1,363. Reference category consists of subjects who did not report any cannabis use at T3. OR = odds ratio; Ext. Beh. = externalizing behavior.
*p < .05. **p < .01. ***p < .001.
Note: n = 1,363. Reference category consists of subjects who did not report any cannabis use at T3. OR = odds ratio; Ext. Beh. = externalizing behavior.
*p < .05. **p < .01. ***p < .001.