Taken together, alcohol and drug use account for more morbidity and mortality than any single disease or disorder in the United States. Rates of substance use are highest among older adolescents and younger adults, which are critical developmental windows for the development of addiction. The combined factors of sensation seeking versus behavioral and cognitive control are underdeveloped in adolescence. Under popular models of adolescent use, such as the dual systems model, these two systems are hypothesized to explain developmental trends in adolescent substance use. More recently, such theories have incorporated the potential impact of social context, including deviant peers, as accentuating sensation seeking and reward systems in adolescents and contributing to their increased risk of substance use and dependence. To date, these developmental models have been tested and characterized primarily in cross-sectional studies or longitudinal studies with, at best, annual assessments. Here, we will use smartphone sensors and weekly surveys to assess substance use, executive function, disinhibition, risk-taking, and social context on a quasi-continuous basis over the course of multiple years in a large sample during the transition from adolescence to young adulthood. The results will provide a fine-grained model of developmental change in key risk domains and their relationship to substance use. Instrument variables derived from the smartphone's GPS, camera, and microphone, combined with an adolescent twin study design, will provide stringent tests of whether and how environmental and social context disrupts normative developmental trends.

Public Health Relevance

Developmental models of adolescent substance use are difficult to test in traditional longitudinal studies with infrequent (e.g., annual) assessments. We will use smartphone sensors and weekly surveys to assess substance use, executive function, disinhibition, risk-taking, and social context on a quasi-continuous basis over the course of multiple years in a large sample during the transition from adolescence to young adulthood. The results will provide a fine-grained model of developmental change in key risk domains and their relationship to substance use. Instrument variables derived from the smartphone's GPS, camera, and microphone, combined with all the quasi-experimental strengths of an adolescent twin study design, will provide rigorous tests of whether and how environmental and social context disrupts normative developmental trends.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)
Type
Research Project--Cooperative Agreements (U01)
Project #
1U01DA046413-01
Application #
9578133
Study Section
Special Emphasis Panel (ZRG1)
Program Officer
Weinberg, Naimah Z
Project Start
2018-08-15
Project End
2022-06-30
Budget Start
2018-08-15
Budget End
2019-06-30
Support Year
1
Fiscal Year
2018
Total Cost
Indirect Cost
Name
University of Minnesota Twin Cities
Department
Psychology
Type
Schools of Arts and Sciences
DUNS #
555917996
City
Minneapolis
State
MN
Country
United States
Zip Code
55455