The relationships of substance abuse to illegal and violent behavior, in a community sample of young adult African American men and women (gender differences)

J Subst Abuse. 1996;8(4):379-402. doi: 10.1016/s0899-3289(96)90001-2.

Abstract

In a longitudinal study of an African American young adult community sample (N = 380), prospective data on lifetime substance use/abuse from childhood up to age 24 were used as control variables in analyses to predict illegal and violent behavior during the ensuing 2 1/2-year period. Frequent earlier use of drugs predicted subsequent violent behavior for both men and women. Frequency of earlier use of alcohol predicted subsequent violent behavior for men but not for women. A weaker relationship was found between degree of psychopathology and degree of engaging in either illegal or violent behavior than between degree of psychopathology and degree of substance use/abuse. Comorbidity (the combination of earlier use/abuse of drugs with earlier psychopathology) was a stronger predictor, for women than for men, of later illegal and violent behavior.

Publication types

  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Alcoholism / epidemiology*
  • Alcoholism / ethnology
  • Alcoholism / psychology
  • Antisocial Personality Disorder / epidemiology
  • Antisocial Personality Disorder / ethnology
  • Antisocial Personality Disorder / psychology
  • Black or African American / psychology
  • Black or African American / statistics & numerical data*
  • Child of Impaired Parents / psychology
  • Crime / psychology
  • Crime / statistics & numerical data
  • Female
  • Gender Identity*
  • Humans
  • Illicit Drugs*
  • Longitudinal Studies
  • Male
  • Personality Development
  • Prospective Studies
  • Psychotropic Drugs*
  • Risk Factors
  • Substance-Related Disorders / epidemiology*
  • Substance-Related Disorders / ethnology
  • Substance-Related Disorders / psychology
  • United States / epidemiology
  • Violence / ethnology
  • Violence / psychology
  • Violence / statistics & numerical data*

Substances

  • Illicit Drugs
  • Psychotropic Drugs