Application of a Brief Measure of Delay Discounting to Examine the Relationship Between Delay Discounting and the Initiation of Substance Use Among Adolescents

ABSTRACT

Background: Higher rate of Delay Discounting (DD) is associated with increased risk for the initiation and development of substance use disorders in adolescents. Objectives: This study aimed to provide a preliminary assessment of the validity of a brief self-report measure of DD by examining discounting rates across 3 periods of increasing delay and subsequently examining the extent to which overall DD scores are associated with having initiated tobacco, alcohol and cannabis use. Methods: Data were collected in the 2012 fall cycle of the British Columbia Adolescent Substance Use Survey. The sample consisted of 1,143 adolescents (61% female) in grades 10 and 11. A brief self-report measure of DD was developed to assess the tendency of adolescents to discount a delayed monetary reward of $100 over a period of 1-year, 1-month, and 1-week. The area under the curve was calculated for each participant's DD responses and coded into quartiles. Results: The amount of discounting increased as reward delay increased from 1-week to 1-month to 1-year. Compared to participants in the lowest DD quartile, being in the second, third, or fourth quartile was associated with significantly greater odds of having initiated tobacco use, binge drinking, and cannabis use after controlling for sex, age, maternal education, and ethnicity. Conclusions: These results provide preliminary support for the validity of the brief measure of DD presented in this study and support the emerging body of evidence suggesting that DD is an important indicator of increased risk for the initiation of substance use among adolescents.

KEYWORDS:

• Delay discounting
• substance use
• initiation
• adolescence

Glossary

• Delay discounting (DD): The decline in value of a reward as a function of the delay to its receipt, which is measured by assessing the preference for sooner, smaller rewards versus later, larger rewards.

Declaration of interest

The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the article.

Funding

This research was supported by the Canadian Institute of Health Research (CIHR; Grant #86729].

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Chris G. Richardson

Chris G. Richardson is an Associate Professor in the School of Population and Public Health at the University of British Columbia. His program of research is focused on examining the relationships between aspects of biopsychosocial development in adolescence (e.g., attachment, impulsivity, sensation seeking, and resilience) and patterns of substance use. He is also a Scientist at St. Paul's Hospital where he works with a team of mental health clinicians on applied research involving the mental health, substance use and psychosocial functioning of vulnerable youth.

Hanie Edalati

Hanie Edalati is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of British Columbia and BC Mental Health and Substance Use Services, PHSA. Her research is focused on the impact of childhood maltreatment on development of cognition and the risk for substance abuse and victimization in adolescents and young adults. She is also interested in studying the clinical outcomes of Childhood Maltreatment in individuals with complex mental illness and forensic populations.