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Stress reactivity and the developmental psychopathology of adolescent substance use.

ABSTRACT: Adolescence represents a period of risk for initiation of substance use and the development of substance use disorders (SUDs). In addition, during adolescence, there is rapid development of stress reactivity systems. This paper describes a conceptual model of the role of stress reactivity in the development of substance use in adolescence. It is proposed that some children develop maladaptive patterns of emotional, physiological, and neural reactivity to stressful situations that are either too high or too low and that their patterns of reactivity interact with increased stressful life events during adolescence to lead to potential for substance use and SUDs. In one pathway, youth develop a heightened reactivity to stress, which leads to high negative emotion and using substances to cope. In a second pathway, youth develop a blunted reactivity to stress, which leads to chronic under-arousal and using substances to increase sensation/arousal. We propose that girls may be more likely to take the high-reactivity pathway to substance use and boys may be more likely to take the low-reactivity pathway. We review existing studies of stress reactivity in adolescents, which support our theory that altered stress reactivity is correlated with and, in some cases, predictive of adolescent substance use, with some studies finding high stress reactivity and some finding low stress reactivity to be correlated with increased substance use and SUD risk. Some studies find that the blunted reactivity pathway to substance use occurs particularly for youth from high-risk contexts. Further, some evidence supports the proposed sex differences in stress reactivity pathways. We discuss future directions and implications of these findings for developing and refining developmentally-sensitive stress reactivity-focused SUD prevention programs.

SUBMITTER: Chaplin TM

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6236512 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Stress reactivity and the developmental psychopathology of adolescent substance use.

Chaplin Tara M TM Niehaus Claire C Gonçalves Stefanie F SF

Neurobiology of stress 20180912

Adolescence represents a period of risk for initiation of substance use and the development of substance use disorders (SUDs). In addition, during adolescence, there is rapid development of stress reactivity systems. This paper describes a conceptual model of the role of stress reactivity in the development of substance use in adolescence. It is proposed that some children develop maladaptive patterns of emotional, physiological, and neural reactivity to stressful situations that are either too ...[more]

PMID: 30450379

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Project description:Although lower socioeconomic status has been linked to increased youth substance use, much less research has determined potential mechanisms explaining the association. The current longitudinal study tested whether alternative (i.e., pleasure gained from activities without any concurrent use of substances) and complementary (i.e., pleasure gained from activities in tandem with substance use) reinforcement mediate the link between lower socioeconomic status and youth substance use. Further, we tested whether alternative and complementary reinforcement and youth substance use gradually unfold over time and then intersect with one another in a cascading manner. Potential sex differences are also examined. Data were drawn from a longitudinal survey of substance use and mental health among high school students in Los Angeles. Data collection involved four semiannual assessment waves beginning in fall 2013 (N = 3395; M baseline age = 14.1; 47% Hispanic, 16.2% Asian, 16.1% multiethnic, 15.7% White, and 5% Black; 53.4% female). The results from a negative binomial path model suggested that lower parental socioeconomic status (i.e., lower parental education) was significantly related to an increased number of substances used by youth. The final path model revealed that the inverse association was statistically mediated by adolescents' diminished engagement in pleasurable substance-free activities (i.e., alternative reinforcers) and elevated engagement in pleasurable activities paired with substance use (i.e., complementary reinforcers). The direct effect of lower parental education on adolescent substance use was not statistically significant after accounting for the hypothesized mediating mechanisms. No sex differences were detected. Increasing access to and engagement in pleasant activities of high quality that do not need a reinforcement enhancer, such as substances, may be useful in interrupting the link between lower parental socioeconomic status and youth substance use.

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Stress reactivity and the developmental psychopathology of adolescent substance use.

Publications

Stress reactivity and the developmental psychopathology of adolescent substance use.

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