ABSTRACT
The current study examined associations between substance use and depressed mood by gender and type of substance used (no use, alcohol, marijuana, or both alcohol and marijuana) in a sample of 713 adolescents (Mage = 15.3) recruited from a Pediatric Emergency Department (PED). Adolescents who reported any marijuana use had higher overall depressed mood scores compared to all other adolescents. When examined by gender, females with both alcohol and marijuana use reported the highest overall depressed mood symptoms. These results suggest the usefulness of screening and identification of depressive symptoms among adolescents presenting to a PED for substance use-related problems.
Funding
Support for this study was provided by the National Institute of Alcohol Abuse & Alcoholism (R01 AA013385, R01 AA009892, and K01 AA021081).