BACKGROUND: The 'gateway' pattern of drug initiation describes a normative sequence, beginning with alcohol and tobacco use, followed by cannabis, then other illicit drugs. Previous work has suggested that 'violations' of this sequence may be predictors of later problems but other determinants were not considered. We have examined the role of pre-existing mental disorders and sociodemographics in explaining the predictive effects of violations using data from the US National Comorbidity Survey Replication (NCS-R). METHOD: The NCS-R is a nationally representative face-to-face household survey of 9282 English-speaking respondents aged 18 years and older that used the World Health Organization (WHO) Composite International Diagnostic Interview (CIDI) to assess DSM-IV mental and substance disorders. Drug initiation was estimated using retrospective age-of-onset reports and 'violations' defined as inconsistent with the normative initiation order. Predictors of violations were examined using multivariable logistic regressions. Discrete-time survival analysis was used to see whether violations predicted progression to dependence. RESULTS: Gateway violations were largely unrelated to later dependence risk, with the exception of small increases in risk of alcohol and other illicit drug dependence for those who initiated use of other illicit drugs before cannabis. Early-onset internalizing disorders were predictors of gateway violations, and both internalizing and externalizing disorders increased the risks of dependence among users of all drugs. CONCLUSIONS: Drug use initiation follows a strong normative pattern, deviations from which are not strongly predictive of later problems. By contrast, adolescents who have already developed mental health problems are at risk for deviations from the normative sequence of drug initiation and for the development of dependence.
BACKGROUND: The 'gateway' pattern of drug initiation describes a normative sequence, beginning with alcohol and tobacco use, followed by cannabis, then other illicit drugs. Previous work has suggested that 'violations' of this sequence may be predictors of later problems but other determinants were not considered. We have examined the role of pre-existing mental disorders and sociodemographics in explaining the predictive effects of violations using data from the US National Comorbidity Survey Replication (NCS-R). METHOD: The NCS-R is a nationally representative face-to-face household survey of 9282 English-speaking respondents aged 18 years and older that used the World Health Organization (WHO) Composite International Diagnostic Interview (CIDI) to assess DSM-IV mental and substance disorders. Drug initiation was estimated using retrospective age-of-onset reports and 'violations' defined as inconsistent with the normative initiation order. Predictors of violations were examined using multivariable logistic regressions. Discrete-time survival analysis was used to see whether violations predicted progression to dependence. RESULTS: Gateway violations were largely unrelated to later dependence risk, with the exception of small increases in risk of alcohol and other illicit drug dependence for those who initiated use of other illicit drugs before cannabis. Early-onset internalizing disorders were predictors of gateway violations, and both internalizing and externalizing disorders increased the risks of dependence among users of all drugs. CONCLUSIONS: Drug use initiation follows a strong normative pattern, deviations from which are not strongly predictive of later problems. By contrast, adolescents who have already developed mental health problems are at risk for deviations from the normative sequence of drug initiation and for the development of dependence.
Authors: Joshua Aaron Ginzler; Bryan N Cochran; Melanie Domenech-Rodríguez; Ana Mari Cauce; Leslie B Whitbeck Journal: Subst Use Misuse Date: 2003 Feb-May Impact factor: 2.164
Authors: Ronald C Kessler; Patricia Berglund; Wai Tat Chiu; Olga Demler; Steven Heeringa; Eva Hiripi; Robert Jin; Beth-Ellen Pennell; Ellen E Walters; Alan Zaslavsky; Hui Zheng Journal: Int J Methods Psychiatr Res Date: 2004 Impact factor: 4.035
Authors: Dean P McKenzie; Mark Creamer; Helen L Kelsall; Andrew B Forbes; Jillian F Ikin; Malcolm R Sim; Alexander C McFarlane Journal: Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol Date: 2009-09-10 Impact factor: 4.328
Authors: C E Sartor; A Agrawal; M T Lynskey; A E Duncan; J D Grant; E C Nelson; P A F Madden; A C Heath; K K Bucholz Journal: Psychol Med Date: 2012-07-18 Impact factor: 7.723