Changes in delay discounting, substance use, and weight status across adolescence.

ABSTRACT:

Objective

Higher rates of delay discounting have been consistently linked to maladaptive health behaviors, including substance use and overeating, among adults. Despite adolescence representing a critical period for the escalation of these risky health behaviors, little is known about the developmental course of delay discounting or how this construct relates to important health outcomes in youth. The current study examined change in delay discounting over time using a latent growth curve approach and the relation between growth in this construct and changes in substance use and body-mass index over a 6-year period.

Method

Participants included 247 adolescents (44% female) with a mean age of 13 at the initial assessment.

Results

Findings suggest that, on average, rate

SUBMITTER: Felton JW 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7169948 | biostudies-literature | 2020 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature