Children with attention and concentration problems in first grade were more likely to transition to marijuana use and problems by seventh grade, while those with externalizing behavior were more likely to encounter opportunities to use.
Read this if you are a parent, educator, or counselor interested in early risk factors for youth substance use.
Attention problems in first grade predicted marijuana use by seventh grade
What the researchers found
Researchers tracked 458 low-income, urban African American children from first grade through early high school to see how early academic and behavior problems related to later marijuana use.
Two behavior problem classes emerged at school entry: externalizing (acting out) and attention/concentration difficulties. Academic problems co-occurred with both but were more strongly linked to attention/concentration issues.
Children with attention/concentration problems were more likely to transition from no marijuana involvement to actual use and problems starting in seventh grade. Children with externalizing behavior were more likely to transition from no involvement to having an opportunity to use during the high school transition.
This suggests that different behavior profiles lead to marijuana involvement through different pathways.
Why it matters
This study showed that risk for marijuana involvement begins before children even encounter the drug. Early academic and behavioral screening could identify children who need targeted prevention during critical transition periods.
The numbers in context
458 participants; two behavior problem classes at school entry; attention/concentration problems predicted use and problems by 7th grade; externalizing behavior predicted opportunity exposure in high school transition
How the study worked
Longitudinal study of 458 low-income, urban African American children using latent class and latent transition analyses. Behavior and academic problems assessed in first grade. Marijuana use transitions tracked from middle school through early high school.
What this study cannot tell us
Single urban community in one geographic area. Low-income African American sample may not generalize to other populations. Self-reported marijuana use in adolescents may be unreliable. Attrition over the lengthy follow-up period.
How to read the evidence
Longitudinal design tracking children over several years with sophisticated statistical modeling, though limited to one community sample.
When this study was published
Published in 2015. Early childhood intervention research for substance use prevention has continued to develop.
The bigger picture
Prevention that waits until drug exposure has already occurred may be too late. Addressing academic and behavioral problems in elementary school could reduce marijuana involvement years later, particularly for low-income minority youth.
Questions still open
- Would early intervention for attention problems in first grade reduce later marijuana use? Are these pathways specific to marijuana or do they apply to other substances? Do protective factors at the school transition points moderate these risks?
Common questions
Can you predict marijuana use from first-grade behavior?
Why did different problem types lead to different pathways?
Read the original research
Influences of behavior and academic problems at school entry on marijuana use transitions during adolescence in an African-American sample.
Addictive behaviors, 41, 51-7
Citation
Reboussin, Beth A; Ialongo, Nicholas S; Green, Kerry M. (2015). Influences of behavior and academic problems at school entry on marijuana use transitions during adolescence in an African-American sample.. Addictive behaviors, 41, 51-7. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.addbeh.2014.09.030
Explore the wider topic
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- I Smoke Weed But Don't Want My Kids To: Navigating the Hypocrisy
- Quitting Weed as a Parent: Why It Is the Hardest and Most Important Quit
- Quitting Weed as a Teen or Young Adult
- My Kid Is Smoking Weed: A Parent's Guide