The Association Between Early Conduct Problems and Early Marijuana Use in College Students

Abstract

Early conduct problems have been linked to early marijuana use in adolescence. The present study examines this association in a sample of 1,076 college students that was divided into three groups: (1) early marijuana users (began marijuana use prior to age 15; N = 126), (2) late marijuana users (began marijuana use at or after age 15; N = 607), and (3) nonusers (never used marijuana; N = 343). A conduct problem inventory used in previous studies was adapted for use in the present study. Early conduct problems were associated with early marijuana use but not with late marijuana use, holding constant other risk factors. Results suggest that early conduct problems are a risk factor for early marijuana use even among academically achieving college-bound students.

KEYWORDS:

• adolescents
• cannabis
• college students
• conduct problems
• marijuana

Acknowledgments

This study was conducted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the first author's Master of Arts degree at the University of Maryland College Park. The authors wish to extend special thanks to Holly Wilcox, Sarah Kasperski, Elizabeth Zarate, Gillian Pinchevsky, Lauren Coffren, Emily Winick, the interviewing team, and the participants. This research was supported by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (R01-DA14845).

Notes

Note: Results are based on data from a high-risk sample of 1,076 individuals and weighted to represent the general population of screened first-year students (N _wt  = 2,873). Results are presented as the unweighted number (n) of interviewed students and the weighted percent (% _wt ) of all screened students. Weighted data do not always sum to the total due to rounding. For each behavior, median age of onset is based on data from individuals who ever engaged in that behavior. “Early onset” was defined as any occurrence of that behavior prior to the median age of onset for that behavior.

Note: Results are based on data from a high-risk sample of 1,076 individuals and weighted to represent the general population of screened first-year students (N _wt  = 2,873). Weighted data do not always sum to the total due to rounding.

Note: Results are based on data from a high-risk sample of 1,076 individuals and weighted to represent the general population of screened first-year students (N _wt  = 2,873). Weighted data do not always sum to the total due to rounding.

Note: For each pairwise comparison, the column header is labeled as “criterion category vs. reference category.” In the multivariate model, odds ratios are adjusted for SAT score, affective dysregulation, cognitive dysregulation, and all other explanatory variables shown. Odds ratios are reported in the table only for variables for which the overall χ ² was statistically significant.