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Cited by 96Substance Abuse Treatment and OutcomesImpact of Technology on AdolescentsYouth, Drugs, and Violence

Impulsivity and history of behavioral addictions are associated with drug use in adolescents

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Chuang, Cheng-Wei I., Sussman, Steve, Stone, Matthew D., Pang, Raina D., Chou, Chih-Ping, Leventhal, Adam M., Kirkpatrick, Matthew G.·2017·Addictive Behaviors
DOI 10.1016/j.addbeh.2017.05.021PMC PMC6604811
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Abstract

Background Previous literature suggests that trait impulsivity and engagement in non-drug-related behavioral addictions (e.g., Internet addiction, food addiction) are two risk factors for drug use. Here we further investigated the potential impact of having one or both of these risk factors on drug use in Los Angeles area adolescents. Method High school students (N=1612; Mean age=14.1) completed self-report surveys measuring two potential risk factors (impulsivity, lifetime history of several behavioral addictions), and past 6-month use of tobacco, alcohol and marijuana. Participants who reported never using drugs completed questionnaires assessing their susceptibility for future use. Results In general, adolescents who endorsed either impulsivity alone or at least two behavioral addictions alone were more likely to have used tobacco, alcohol, or marijuana compared to individuals who had neither risk factor (OR=2.50-4.13), and individuals who endorsed both impulsivity and three or more behavioral addictions were the most likely to have used these drugs (OR=9.40-10.13). Similarly, among those who had never tried a drug, individuals with this combined set of risk factors were the most likely to be susceptible to future drug use (OR=3.37-5.04). Discussion These results indicate that the combination of trait impulsivity and a history of behavioral addictions increases the risk for current and future drug use in adolescents, to a greater extent than either risk factor alone. It may be useful for drug prevention efforts to target impulsive adolescents who also actively engage in other non-drug-related addictive behaviors.

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  • Significant associations were reported between drug abuse and groups with two behavioral addictions (OR = 3.19, 95% CI 1.25,9.77) and three behavioral addictions (OR = 3.46, 95% CI 1.25,9.58).

    “significant associations between drug abuse and the groups with two behavioral addictions (OR = 3.19, 95% CI 1.25,9.77) and three behavioral addictions (OR = 3.46, 95% CI 1.25,9.58) were reported.”

    From Risk and protective factors of drug abuse among adolescents: a systematic review (2021) · cites this paper as [29]

    The Results section (page unavailable) reports significant associations between behavioral-addiction risk groups and past-six-month drug use. The available passages do not give the claimed ORs or confidence intervals, and the paper groups participants with three or more behavioral addictions rather than exactly three. It measures drug use, not necessarily drug abuse. (LLM, conf=0.84)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured

  • Adolescents with high impulsivity traits have a significant positive association with drug addiction.

    “Chuang et al. [29] found that adolescents with high impulsivity traits had a significant positive association with drug addiction.”

    From Risk and protective factors of drug abuse among adolescents: a systematic review (2021) · cites this paper as [29]

    The Results section (page not available) reports that high impulsivity alone significantly increased the likelihood of drug use in adolescents. However, the study measured use of tobacco, alcohol, and marijuana—not drug addiction—so the citing sentence overstates the outcome. (LLM, conf=0.88)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured

  • The impulsivity trait alone is an independent risk factor that increases the odds of using any drug between two to four times compared with the non-impulsive group.

    “This study also showed that the impulsivity trait alone was an independent risk factor that increased the odds between two to four times for using any drug compared to the non-impulsive group.”

    From Risk and protective factors of drug abuse among adolescents: a systematic review (2021) · cites this paper as [29]

    The Results section on past-six-month drug use (page not provided) says impulsivity alone was associated with greater likelihood of use across all five outcomes, including any drug use. It gives an odds ratio of 3.72 for tobacco use, but the available passage does not establish a two-to-fourfold odds ratio for any drug use. The Discussion also cautions that impulsivity may be a marker of other risk factors, so calling it an independent factor that increases use overstates the association. (LLM, conf=0.86)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured

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Authors
Chuang, C.-W. I., Sussman, S., Stone, M. D., Pang, R. D., Chou, C.-P., Leventhal, A. M., & Kirkpatrick, M. G.
Affiliations
University of Southern California (US)
Corresponding author
Kirkpatrick, Matthew G.
ORCID
Venue
Addictive Behaviors
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2017-11
Volume
74
Pages
41-47
ISSN
0306-4603 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.1016/j.addbeh.2017.05.021
PMC
PMC6604811
OpenAlex
W2617527972
Cited by
96
References
4
Citations by year
2026: 2 · 2025: 10 · 2024: 6 · 2023: 5 · 2022: 7 · 2021: 7 · 2020: 46 · 2019: 6 · 2018: 5 · 2017: 1
FWCI
11.99
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
www.elsevier.com/tdm/userlicense/1.0/ (tdm)
Locations
  • Addictive Behaviors (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
  • eScholarship (California Digital Library) (submittedVersion)
Funders
National Institute on Drug Abuse (R01-DA033296)
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Epidemiology › Substance Abuse Treatment and Outcomes
  • Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Impact of Technology on Adolescents
  • Social Sciences › Demography › Youth, Drugs, and Violence
Keywords
trait impulsivity, behavioral addiction, adolescent drug use, tobacco use, alcohol consumption, cannabis use, internet addiction, food addiction, substance use risk factors, drug sensitivity, high school students, substance use prevention
MeSH terms
Adolescent, Adolescent Behavior, Female, Humans, Impulsive Behavior, Male, Surveys and Questionnaires, Risk Factors, Los Angeles, Comorbidity, Behavior, Addictive, Substance-Related Disorders

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