Sex‐specific risk profiles for substance use among college students. Issue 2 (21st November 2020)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Martin, Caitlin E.; Ksinan, Albert J.; Moeller, Frederick Gerard; Dick, Danielle
• Is Part Of: Brain and behavior. Volume 11:Issue 2(2021)
• Page Start: n/a
• Page End: n/a
• Publication Date: 2020-11-21
• Subjects: addiction -- gender -- sex -- students -- substance use disorder -- young adults; Neurology -- Periodicals; Neurosciences -- Periodicals; Psychology -- Periodicals; Psychiatry -- Periodicals; 616.8005
• DOI: 10.1002/brb3.1959
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 2162-3279

Abstract

Abstract: Introduction: Growing evidence indicates sex and gender differences exist in substance use. Framed by a lifecourse perspective, we explored prospectively by sex the effects of distal and proximal factors on the initiation of drug use in college. Methods: College students without prior drug use ( n = 5, 120 females; n = 2, 951 males) were followed longitudinally across 4 years. Analyses were estimated as a multigroup survival analysis separately by sex within a latent variable SEM framework with illicit drug use (6 or more times in past year) as the latent factor. Results: More males initiated drug use (8.5%) than females (6.4%, χ 2 (1) = 10.351, p = .001), but less so for Black males (AOR 0.33, 95% CI [0.18, 0.60]) and females (0.35 [0.23, 0.54]). Students initiating drug use more likely included students smoking cigarettes at baseline (males 1.40 [1.23, 1.59]; females 1.43 [1.24, 1.64]), using alcohol (males 1.04 [1.02, 1.06]; females 1.04 [1.02, 1.06]), or having cannabis using peers (males 1.79 [1.52, 2.11]; females 1.70 [1.49, 1.93]). Impulsivity domain associations differed by sex [negative urgency: females (1.23 [1.02, 1.49) and sensation seeking: males (1.33 [1.01, 1.75])]. History of unwanted/uncomfortable sexual experience predicted drug use for males (1.60 [1.09, 2.35]) and females (1.95 [1.45, 2.62]) but physical assault only for females (1.45 [1.08, 1.94]). Mood symptoms predicted drug use only for males [depression (0.73 [0.56, 0.95]); anxiety (1.40 [1.04, 1.89])]. Conclusions: Risk factors for initiating drug use during college differ by sex. As substance use during early age predisposes one for addiction, sex‐ and gender‐informed interventions for young adults are needed. Abstract : This study prospectively follows a large and diverse sample of students through the college years and is a useful addition to the literature on illicit drug use in a nontreatment seeking student population in the current opioid crisis. Among young adult students at the start of college, certain factors (i.e., tobacco or alcohol, peer drug use) were associated with subsequent initiation of occasional illicit drug use for both males and females while others differed across sex (i.e., mood symptoms, trauma histories), highlighting key areas to focus sex‐specific prevention efforts.