Pubertal Timing and Substance Use in Children and Adolescents: Gender Differences

描述（由申请人提供）：在男孩和女孩中，青春期成熟的时间与物质使用有关，但成熟影响物质使用的确切机制尚不清楚。早熟的女孩比不早熟的女孩更有可能在早期使用药物，而早熟和晚熟的男孩与准时成熟的男孩相比，似乎都有更高的药物使用风险。拟议的项目利用1000多名高危儿童的现有数据集，检查青春期成熟与开始和使用烟草、酒精、大麻和吸入剂之间关系的调节因子和调节因子。本研究集中于3个领域——家庭、同伴和个体差异——并在这些领域中纳入了可能的性别差异。本研究：(1)探讨青春期发育时间与青少年烟草、酒精、大麻和吸入剂使用的关系；(2)研究了青春期时间与物质使用之间通路的性别差异；(3)研究了家庭因素对青春期时间与物质使用关系的调节作用；(4)研究了同伴因素和情绪困扰对青春期时间与物质使用关系的中介作用。了解与非时间成熟相关的风险和保护因素有助于确定早期物质使用风险增加的人群，并有助于确定和完善预防方案。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The timing of pubertal maturation has been associated with substance use in both boys and girls, but the exact mechanisms by which maturation influences substance use are unclear. Early maturing girls are more likely to use substances at an early age compared to non-early maturers, while both early and late maturing boys appear to be at increased risk for substance use compared to on-time maturers. The proposed project utilizes an existing data set of over 1000 mostly at-risk children to examine moderators and mediators of the relation between pubertal maturation and initiation and use of tobacco, alcohol, marijuana, and inhalants. This investigation focuses on 3 domains-family, peer, and individual differences-and incorporates probable gender differences in each of these domains. The proposed study: (1) examines the relation between pubertal timing and tobacco, alcohol, marijuana, and inhalant use in young adolescents; (2) examines gender differences in the pathways linking pubertal timing with substance use, (3) examines moderating effects of family factors on the relation between pubertal timing and substance use, and (4) examines mediating effects of peer factors and emotional distress on the relation between pubertal timing and substance use. Knowledge of risk and protective factors associated with off-time maturation can aid in identifying populations at increased risk of early substance use and can help target and refine prevention programs.