Progression in substance use initiation: A multilevel discordant monozygotic twin design.

ABSTRACT: Considerable attention has been paid to the "gateway" pattern of drug use initiation in which individuals progress from tobacco and alcohol use to cannabis and other illicit drugs. The extent to which this sequence reflects a causal impact of licit substance use on illicit substance involvement remains unclear. Clarifying the mechanisms underlying substance use initiation may help inform our understanding of risk for psychopathology, as increasing research is demonstrating associations between initiation patterns and heavier involvement. This study examined patterns of substance use initiation using a discordant twin design. Participants were 3,476 monozygotic twins (37% male) from the Australian Twin Registry who reported on their ages of tobacco, alcohol, and cannabis initiation. Multile

SUBMITTER: Richmond-Rakerd LS 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4573814 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature