Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

The Role of Internalizing Mental Health Problems in Substance Use Trajectories for Minority Adolescents

  • Original Article
  • Published:
International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Research on adolescence and substance use point to a link between internalizing problems and substance use. The current longitudinal study investigates how internalizing problems and substance use change over time among minority adolescents and the role of internalizing problems in predicting trajectories of substance use among African American and Latinx adolescents, with attention to variation by gender, ethnicity, and generation status. This study follows a large sample of minority immigrant adolescents over three waves of data collection (10th, 11th, and 12th grades). Individual growth curve modeling showed that substance use increased over time while internalizing problems decreased overtime. Results showed that changes in internalizing problems over time significantly predicted changes in substance use over time. Ethnicity moderated this relation; specifically, greater internalizing problems predicted greater substance use for Latinx, but not African Americans. No significant interactions were found among gender or generation status in predicting substance use at intercept. Implications for future research are discussed.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Achenbach, T. M. (1991). Manual for the youth self-report and 1991 profile. Burlington: University of Vermont, Department of Psychiatry.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ahmed, S. R., Kia-Keating, M., & Tsai, K. H. (2011). A structural model of racial discrimination, acculturative stress, and cultural resources among Arab American adolescents. American Journal of Community Psychology, 48, 181–192. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10464-011-9424-3.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Albert, D., & Steinberg, L. (2011). Peer influences on adolescent risk behavior. In M.T. Bardo, D.H. Fishbein, & R. Milich (Eds.), Inhibitory control and drug abuse prevention: from research to translation (pp. 211–226). Springer.

  • Algeria, M., Canino, G., Shrout, P. E., Woo, M., Duan, N., Vila, D, … Meng, X. L. (2008). Prevalence of mental illness in immigrant and non-immigrant U.S. Latino groups. The American Journal of Psychiatry, 165(3), 359–369. doi:https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.ajp.2007.07040704.

  • Anderson, E. R., & Mayes, L. C. (2010). Race/ethnicity and internalizing disorders in youth: a review. Clinical Psychology Review, 30(3), 338–348. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cpr.2009.12.008.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Berry, J. W. (2003). Stress perspectives on acculturation. In D. L. Sam & J. W. Berry (Eds.), The Cambridge handbook of acculturation psychology (p. 43e57). New York: Cambridge University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Boyce, C. A., & Fuligni, A. J. (2007). Issues for developmental research among racial/ethnic minority and immigrant families. Research in Human Development, 4, 1–17. https://doi.org/10.1080/15427600701480972.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Brook, J. S., Lee, J. Y., Finch, S. J., & Brook, D. W. (2015). Conjoint trajectories of depressive symptoms and delinquent behavior predicting substance use disorders. Addictive Behaviors, 42, 14–19. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.addbeh.2014.10.038.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Cano, M. A., Schwartz, S. J., Castillo, L. G., Romero, A. J., Huang, S., Lorenzo-Blanco, E. I., Unger, J. B., Zamboanga, B. L., Des Rosiers, S. E., Baezconde-Garbanati, L., Lizzi, K. M., Soto, D. W., Oshri, A., Villamar, J. A., Pattarroyo, M., & Szapocznik, J. (2015). Depressive symptoms and externalizing behaviors among Hispanic immigrant adolescents: examining longitudinal effects of cultural stress. Journal of Adolescence, 42, 31–39. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.adolescence.2015.03.017.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (1999, December 31). Youth risk behavior survey questionnaire. www.cdc.gov/yrbs

  • Chen, P., & Jacobson, K. C. (2012). Developmental trajectories of substance use from early adolescence to young adulthood: gender and racial/ethnic differences. Journal of Adolescent Health, 50(2), 154–163. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jadohealth.2011.05.013.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • D’Amico, E. J., Tucker, J. S., Miles, J. N. V., Ewing, B. A., Shih, R. A., & Pedersen, E. R. (2016). Alcohol and marijuana use trajectories in a diverse longitudinal sample of adolescents: examining use patterns from age 11 to 17. Addiction, 111(10), 1825–1835. https://doi.org/10.1111/add.13442.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Desalu, J. M., Kim, J., Zaso, M. J., Corriders, S. R., Loury, J. A., Minter, M. L., & Park, A. (2017). Racial discrimination, binge drinking, and negative drinking consequences among black college students: serial mediation by depressive symptoms and coping motives. Ethnicity & Health, 24, 1–15. https://doi.org/10.1080/13557858.2017.1380170.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ferguson, C. J., & Meehan, D. C. (2010). Saturday night’s alright for fighting: antisocial traits, fighting, and weapons carrying in a large sample of youth. Psychiatric Quarterly, 81(4), 293–302. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11126-010-9138-y.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Garcia Coll, C., & Marks, A. K. (2011). Immigrant paradox among children and adolescents: is becoming an American a developmental risk? Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gonzalez, M. J. (2005). Access to mental health services: the struggle of poverty affected urban children of color. Child & Adolescent Social Work Journal, 22(3–4), 245–256. https://doi.org/10.1007/S10560-005-0036-3.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Griffin, K. W., Botvin, G. J., Scheier, L. M., Diaz, T., & Miller, N. L. (2000). Parenting practices as predictors of substance use, delinquency, and aggression among urban minority youth: moderating effects of family structure and gender. Psychology of Addictive Behaviors, 14(2), 174–184. https://doi.org/10.1037/0893-164X.14.2.174.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Heaton, L. L. (2018). Racial/ethnic differences of justice-involved youth in substance-related problems and services received. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 88(3), 363–375. https://doi.org/10.1037/ort0000312.supp.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hill, E. M., Boyd, C. J., & Kortge, J. F. (2000). Variation in suicidality among substance-abusing women: the role of childhood adversity. Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment, 19, 339–345. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0740-5472(00)00113-6.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Johnston, L. D., O’Malley, P. M., Bachman, J. G., & Schulenberg, J. E. (2013). Demographic subgroup trends among adolescents for fifty-one classes of licit and illicit drugs, 1975–2012.

  • Johnston, L. D., Miech, R. A., O’Malley, P. M., Bachman, J. G., & Schulenberg, J. E. (2018). Demographic subgroup trends among adolescents in the use of various licit and illicit drugs, 1975–2017 (Monitoring the Future Occasional Paper No. 90). Ann Arbor, MI: Institute for Social Research, The University of Michigan.

  • Lustig, S. L., Kia-Keating, M., Knight, W. G., Geltman, P., Ellis, H., Kinzie, J. D., Keane, T., & Saxe, G. N. (2004). Review of child and adolescent refugee mental health. Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 43, 24–36. https://doi.org/10.1097/00004583-200401000-00012.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Marmorstein, N. R., White, H., Chung, T., Hipwell, A., Stouthamer-Loeber, M., & Loeber, R. (2010). Associations between first use of substances and change in internalizing symptoms among girls: differences by symptom trajectory and substance use type. Journal of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology, 39(4), 545–558. https://doi.org/10.1080/15374416.2010.486325.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Maslowsky, J., Schulenberg, J. E., & Zucker, R. A. (2014). Influence of conduct problems and depressive symptomatology on adolescent substance use: developmentally proximal versus distal effects. Developmental Psychology, 50(4), 1179–1189. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0035085.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Mays, V. M., Jones, A. L., Delany-Brumsey, A., Coles, C., & Cochran, S. D. (2017). Perceived discrimination in health care and mental health/substance abuse treatment among Blacks, Latinos, and Whites. Medical Care, 55(2), 173–181. https://doi.org/10.1097/MLR.0000000000000638.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • McLaughlin, K. A., & King, K. (2015). Developmental trajectories of anxiety and depression in early adolescence. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 43(2), 311–323. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10802-014-9898-1.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Mondi, C. F., Reynolds, A. J., & Ou, S. R. (2017). Predictors of depressive symptoms in emerging adulthood in a low-income urban cohort. Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, 50, 45–59. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.appdev.2017.03.009.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Moss, H. B., Chen, C. M., & Yi, H. Y. (2014). Early adolescent patterns of alcohol, cigarettes, and marijuana poly substance use and young adult substance use outcomes in a nationally representative sample. Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 136, 51–62. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2013.12.011.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • National Institute on Drug Abuse. (2014, December 31). Principles of adolescent substance use disorder treatment: a research-based guide. https://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/principles-adolescent-substance-use-disorder-treatment-research-based-guide/frequently-asked-questions/what-drugs-are-most-frequently-used-by-adolescents.

  • Parrish, K. H., Atherton, O. E., Quintana, A., Conger, R. D., & Robins, R. W. (2016). Reciprocal relations between internalizing symptoms and frequency of alcohol use: findings from a longitudinal study of Mexican-origin youth. Psychology of Addictive Behaviors, 30(2), 203–208. https://doi.org/10.1037/adb0000138.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Peck, J. H., Childs, K. K., Jennings, W. G., & Brady, C. M. (2018). General strain theory, depression, and substance use: results from a nationally representative, longitudinal sample of White, African-American, and Hispanic adolescents and young adults. Journal of Child & Adolescent Substance Abuse, 27(1), 11–28. https://doi.org/10.1080/1067828X.2017.1396516.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pena, J. B., Wyman, P. A., Brown, C. H., Matthieu, M. M., Olivares, T. E., Hartel, D., & Zayas, L. H. (2008). Immigration generation status and its association with suicide attempts, substance use, and depressive symptoms among Latino adolescents in the USA. Prevention Science, 9(4), 299–310. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11121-008-0105-x.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Preacher, K. J., Curran, P. J., & Bauer, D. J. (2006). Computational tools for probing interactions in multiple linear regression, multilevel modeling, and latent curve analysis. Journal of Educational and Behavioral Statistics, 31(4), 437–448. https://doi.org/10.3102/10769986031004437.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rao, U., Daley, S. E., & Hammen, C. (2000). Relationship between depression and substance use disorders in adolescent women during the transition to adulthood. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 39, 215–222. https://doi.org/10.1097/00004583-200002000-00022.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Raudenbush, S. W., & Bryk, A. S. (2002). Hierarchical linear models: applications and data analysis methods. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.

    Google Scholar 

  • Razzino, B. E., Ribordy, S. C., Grant, K., Ferrari, J. R., Bowden, B. S., & Zeisz, J. (2004). Gender-related processes and drug use: self-expression with parents, peer group selection, and achievement motivation. Adolescence, 39(153), 167–177.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Repetto, P. B., Caldwell, C. H., & Zimmerman, M. A. (2004). Trajectories of depressive symptoms among high risk African-American adolescents. Journal of Adolescent Health, 35(6), 468–477. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jadohealth.2003.12.007.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schwartz, S. J., Unger, J. B., Lorenzo-Blanco, E., Des Rosiers, S. E., Villamar, J. A., Soto, D. W., et al. (2014). Perceived context of reception among recent Hispanic immigrants: conceptualization, instrument development, and preliminary validation. Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology, 20(1), 1–15. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0033391.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Schwartz, S. J., Unger, J. B., Baezconde-Garbanati, L., Zamboanga, B. L., Lorenzo-Blanco, E. I., Des Rosiers, S. E., Romero, A. J., Cano, M. Á., Gonzales-Backen, M. A., Córdova, D., Piña-Watson, B. M., Huang, S., Villamar, J. A., Soto, D. W., Pattarroyo, M., & Szapocznik, J. (2015). Trajectories of cultural stressors and effects on mental health and substance use among Hispanic immigrant adolescents. Journal of Adolescent Health, 56(4), 433–439. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jadohealth.2014.12.011.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sirin, S. R., Ryce, P., Gupta, T., & Rogers-Sirin, L. (2013). The role of acculturative stress on mental health symptoms for immigrant adolescents: a longitudinal investigation. Developmental Psychology, 49(4), 736–748. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0028398.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Sirin, S. R., Rogers-Sirin, L., Cressen, J., Gupta, T., Ahmed, S. F., & Novoa, A. D. (2015). Discrimination-related stress effects on the development of internalizing symptoms among Latino adolescents. Child Development, 86(3), 709–725. https://doi.org/10.1111/cdev.12343.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Smokowski, P. R., Rose, R. A., & Bacallao, M. (2010). Influence of risk factors and cultural assets on Latino adolescents’ trajectories of self-esteem and internalizing symptoms. Child Psychiatry and Human Development, 41(2), 133–155. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10578-009-0157-6.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Star, J. E., Bober, D., & Gold, M. S. (2005). Double trouble: depression and alcohol use in the adolescent patient. Psychiatric Annals, 35(6), 496–504.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Steinberg, L. (2005). Cognitive and affective development in adolescence. Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 9(2), 69–74. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tics.2004.12.005.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Stueve, A., & O’Donnell, L. N. (2005). Early alcohol initiation and subsequent sexual and alcohol risk behaviors among urban youths. American Journal of Public Health, 95(5), 887–893.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Vasilenko, S. A., Evans-Polce, R. J., & Lanza, S. T. (2017). Age trends in rates of substance use disorders across ages 18-90: differences by gender and race/ethnicity. Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 180, 260–264. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2017.08.027.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Vega, W. A., Zimmerman, R., Gil, A., Warheit, G. J., & Apospori, E. (1997). Acculturation strain theory: its application in explaining drug use behavior among Cuban and other Hispanic youth. Substance Use & Misuse, 32(12-13), 1943–1948. https://doi.org/10.3109/10826089709035608.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Villalobos, B. T., & Bridges, A. J. (2018). Prevalence of substance use disorders among Latinos in the United States: an empirical review update. Journal of Latina/o Psychology, 6(3), 204–219. https://doi.org/10.1037/lat0000097.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Viruell-Fuentes, E. A. (2007). Beyond acculturation: immigration, discrimination, and health research among Mexicans in the United States. Social Science & Medicine, 65(7), 1524–1535.

  • Walter, K. S., Bulmer, S. M., Troiano, P. F., Obiaka, U., & Bonhomme, R. (2018). Substance use, anxiety, and depressive symptoms among college students. Journal of Child & Adolescent Substance Abuse, 27(2), 103–111. https://doi.org/10.1080/1067828X.2017.1420507.

  • Williams, D. R., & Mohammed, S. A. (2009). Discrimination and racial disparities in health: evidence and needed research. Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 32(1), 20–47.

  • Zeiders, K. H., Umaña-Taylor, A. J., & Derlan, C. L. (2013). Trajectories of depressive symptoms and self-esteem in Latino youths: examining the role of gender and perceived discrimination. Developmental Psychology, 49(5), 951–963. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0028866.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

We are grateful to Joshua Aronson, Michelle Fine, and Carola Suarez-Orozco for their invaluable help with the New York City Academic and Social Engagement Study (NYCASES) study. We also gratefully acknowledge the time and efforts of the adolescents who participated in this study.

Funding

This work was funded by grants from the Spencer Foundation and New York University.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. New York University, New York, NY, USA

    Patrice Ryce, Selcuk R. Sirin, Esther J. Sin & Josephine Palmeri

  2. Department of Applied Psychology, New York University, 246 Greene Street, 4th Floor, New York, NY, 10003, USA

    Selcuk R. Sirin

  3. The College of Staten Island, City University of New York, New York, NY, USA

    Lauren Rogers-Sirin

Authors
  1. Patrice Ryce
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Selcuk R. Sirin
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Lauren Rogers-Sirin
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Esther J. Sin
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Josephine Palmeri
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Selcuk R. Sirin.

Ethics declarations

Conflict of Interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Ethical Approval

All procedures followed were in accordance with the ethical standards of the responsible committee on human experimentation (institutional and national) and with the Helsinki Declaration of 1975, as revised in 2000.

Informed Consent

Informed consent was obtained from all patients for being included in the study.

Additional information

Publisher’s Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Ryce, P., Sirin, S.R., Rogers-Sirin, L. et al. The Role of Internalizing Mental Health Problems in Substance Use Trajectories for Minority Adolescents. Int J Ment Health Addiction 19, 2031–2044 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11469-020-00298-w

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11469-020-00298-w

Keywords

Search

Navigation