This application describes a continuation plan to follow the youth in the original study for another four years as they experience the transition to young adulthood. The original sample is composed of 770 youth with four years of data (79 percent African-American, 52 percent female). We have obtained a 90.6 percent response rate from Year 1 to Year 4. This proposal describes a plan to continue to assess three sets of psychosocial variables--meaningful instrumental behavior, social influence, and psychological well-being--and collect new information regarding employment, marriage and intimacy, parenthood and parenting, and post-secondary training/education. Resiliency theory is used as the guiding framework for the study. The study is designed to examine the effects of adolescent alcohol and drug use (AOD) on marriage and family formation, educational achievement, employment, and other psychosocial outcomes (e.g., violent behavior, higher stage AOD, sexual behaviors, psychological well-being, social relationships, and community involvement). The study will also identify factors that increase risk for AOD and its negative consequences during the adult transition, examine the effects of young adult developmental tasks on young adult AOD and other outcomes, and investigate factors that help compensate and protect youth from the negative effects of risks for healthy adult transition. Theoretical models that describe the etiology of negative and positive outcomes associated with the transition to adult roles will be developed.
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