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Integrating across motivational models suggests that different self-damaging behaviors (SDBs) are enacted for similar reasons. However, it remains unclear whether some motives are more relevant to certain SDBs than others. To answer this question, the present study compared the salience of 8 potentially shared motives across 3 exemplar SDBs, selected to represent different points along the internalizing and externalizing spectra: binge drinking, disordered eating (binge eating, purging, fasting), and nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI). Seven hundred and four first-year university students (73% female, Msubage/sub = 17.97) completed monthly surveys assessing their engagement in and motives for SDBs. Motives were conceptualized as either interpersonal (bonding with others, conforming with others, communicating strength, communicating distress, reducing demands) or intrapersonal (reducing negative emotions, enhancing positive emotions, punishing oneself). Multilevel models compared endorsement of each motive across SDBs. Results revealed that SDBs were motivated by similar goals, albeit to different degrees. Although some exceptions emerged, interpersonal motives were most salient to binge drinking, followed by disordered eating, and then NSSI. In contrast, intrapersonal motives were most salient to NSSI, followed by disordered eating, and then binge drinking. Motivational differences were also found within disordered eating. For example, punishing oneself was more relevant to purging and fasting than binge eating, whereas relieving negative emotions was more relevant to binge eating and purging than fasting. Similar to dimensional models that position SDBs on internalizing or externalizing spectra, the salience of motives for binge drinking and NSSI may fall on distinct spectra (i.e., interpersonal and intrapersonal, respectively), with motives for disordered eating exhibiting elements consistent with both spectra. This study supports a common motivational framework for investigating and potentially treating a variety of topographically distinct SDBs.

Background: Few studies have examined social-contextual moderators of substance use transitions from adolescence to young adulthood. A better understanding of the extent to which school, employment...

This article examined associations between male-dominated occupations and substance use disorders in young adulthood, accounting for adolescent experiences of work intensity (more than 15 hr a week at 16 to 17 years of age) and substance use (i.e., smoking, heavy drinking, cannabis, and illicit drug use). The moderating effects of biological sex and coming from a family with a low socioeconomic status (SES) were also assessed. Data were from a 10-year prospective study of community-based youth aged 12–18 in 2003 (T1; N = 662; 48% male; Mage = 15.5, SD = 1.9). Their occupations at ages 22–29 were categorized so that higher scores indicated more male-dominated occupations. Young adults in male-dominated occupations (more than 75% males) had lower education, worked in less prestigious occupations, and earned higher hourly wages than those in the other gendered-occupation groups. Work intensity in high school was associated with substance use at ages 18–25 and substance use was also associated with alcohol- and cannabis-use disorder symptoms and illicit drug use in young adulthood (ages 22–29). Adding to these effects, employment in a male-dominated occupation was associated with more cannabis-use disorder symptoms for the low, but not the high SES group. Public health messages need greater focus on preventing substance use disorders among individuals employed in male-dominated jobs in young adulthood. Efforts to promote self-assessment of problematic substance use and motivation to change may be particularly important for young workers.

We examine how trajectories of marijuana use in Canadian youth (ages 15 to 28) are related to physical health indicators in adolescence and young adulthood. Youth were initially recruited in 2003 (N = 662; 48% male; ages 12 to 18) and followed for six waves. Five trajectories of marijuana use (Abstainers-29%, Occasional users-27%, Decreasers-14%, Increasers-20% and Chronic users-11%) were identified. Chronic users reported more physical symptoms, poorer physical self-concept, less physical activity, poorer eating practices, less sleep, and higher number of sexual partners during adolescence than other classes. Decreasers also reported poorer physical self-concept and poorer eating practices than abstainers. Other trajectory classes showed few significant health problems. Chronic users also reported more acute health problems (i.e. serious injuries, early sexual debut, higher number of sexual partners, greater likelihood of having a STI) in young adulthood than all other classes contributing to costs of healthcare. Youth who engage in early, frequent and continued use of marijuana from adolescence to young adulthood are at-risk of physical health problems in adolescence and young adulthood.

Adolescence and young adulthood is a critical stage when the economic foundations for life-long health are established. To date, there is little consensus as to whether marijuana use is associated with poor educational and occupational success in adulthood. We investigated associations between trajectories of marijuana use from ages 15 to 28 and multiple indicators of economic well-being in young adulthood including achievement levels (i.e., educational attainment and occupational prestige), work characteristics (i.e., full vs part-time employment, hours worked, annual income), financial strain (i.e., debt, trouble paying for necessities, delaying medical attention), and perceived workplace stress. Data were from the Victoria Healthy Youth Survey, a 10-year prospective study of a randomly recruited community sample of 662 youth (48% male; Mage = 15.5), followed biennially for six assessments. Models adjusted for baseline age, sex, SES, high school grades, heavy drinking, smoking, and internalizing and oppositional defiant disorder symptoms. Chronic users (our highest risk class) reported lower levels of educational attainment, lower occupational prestige, lower income, greater debt, and more difficulty paying for medical necessities in young adulthood compared to abstainers. Similarly, increasers also reported lower educational attainment, occupational prestige, and income. Decreasers, who had high early use but quit over time, showed resilience in economic well-being, performing similar to abstainers. Groups did not differ on employment status or perceived workplace stress. The findings indicate that early onset and persistent high or increasingly frequent use of marijuana in the transition from adolescent to young adulthood is associated with risks for achieving educational and occupational success, and subsequently health, in young adulthood. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1007/s11121-018-0904-7) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Objective Adolescence and young adulthood produce developmentally salient and contextual challenges for health behavior choices. The present study examines how changes in physical activity, nutrition, and sleep duration before and after high school graduation influence cardiometabolic risk (CMR) in adulthood (at ages 22-29). Method Youth (N = 662; Time 1 ages 12-18; 48% male) were followed biannually across 10 years. Piecewise latent growth curve modeling was used to assess how changes in physical activity, nutrition, and sleep duration before and after high school influence CMR in young adulthood, accounting for baseline levels of each health behavior. Sex differences in associations were examined. Results Higher initial (baseline) levels of physical activity and nutrition predicted lower CMR. Increases in physical activity and nutrition before and after high school also contributed to lower CMR. When examined simultaneously, initial levels of physical activity and sleep duration (for female participants only) and increases in nutrition had independent effects on CMR. Conclusions Prevention approaches that take into account the salient developmental and contextual differences in adolescence and young adulthood may improve efforts to prevent CMR. (PsycINFO Database Record

The young adult years are particularly important for accruing the education and work experience needed for long-term economic stability. We examine the effects of symptoms of ODD at baseline (i.e., T1 ages 12 to 18 years; N = 662; 48 % male) and of increases in these symptoms on academic and occupational functioning in young adulthood (i.e., T6 ages 22 to 29 years; N = 478; 45 % male) using multiple measures; including achievement levels (i.e., educational attainment, occupational prestige, and income) and financial and work stress (i.e., debt, financial strain, and perceived workplace stress). Our findings show that both adolescent levels of and increases in symptoms of ODD influence academic and occupational functioning in young adulthood. We discuss the implications of ODD symptoms for accruing economic capital in young adulthood, as well as approaches to detecting and intervening that are needed to halt the potentially cascading effects of ODD symptoms.

Introduction High levels of sensation seeking and impulsivity in adolescence are typically associated with risky behaviours; limited research has examined the relation of these traits to positive outcomes. Given that adolescence is a sensitive developmental period that can impact success later in life, we adopt the Positive Youth Development Framework to better understand how the development of self-reported sensation seeking and impulsivity may be differentially related to positive markers of early adulthood. Method Data are from the Victoria Healthy Youth Survey (T1 N = 662; 52% female), a six-wave longitudinal cohort study of Canadian youth. Parallel process latent class growth analysis estimated trajectories of sensation seeking and impulsivity identifying classes of youth (ages 14–28). Controlling for baseline age, sex, and socio-economic status, linear regression analyses examined how longitudinal patterns (classes) of sensation seeking and impulsivity were related to positive markers of early adulthood. Results Three classes of youth were identified. These varied in levels and trajectories of change in sensation seeking (Ss) and impulsivity (I): LowSs-LowI, 26%; HighSs-HighI, 35%; ModerateSs-LowI, 38%. In young adulthood (T6; ages 22–29), youth in the LowSs-LowI and ModerateSs-LowI classes had significantly higher educational and occupational achievement, and lower financial strain, compared to youth in the HighSs-HighI class. Further, the ModerateSs-LowI class was associated with the highest levels of income and well-being. Conclusions Findings identified differential trajectories of sensation seeking and impulsivity, with youth in the ModerateSs-LowI class, followed by the LowSs-LowI class, reporting the most positive outcomes in young adulthood.

Background We examine how depressive symptom trajectories are related to adolescent and young adult subjective health, health-promoting, health-risk, and sexual risk behaviors, as well as cardiometabolic risks. Method Data came from a community-based sample of youth (N = 662; 52% female) followed biannually, six times across 10 years. Latent class growth analysis identified four depressive symptom trajectories which were compared on adolescent (T1; ages 12–18) and young adult (T6; ages 22–29) health indicators. Results The Low stable trajectory (49%) showed the fewest health risks. The Persistent high trajectory (9%) reported higher physical symptoms, lower physical self-concept, less physical activity and sleep, and higher rates of smoking and sexual risk behaviors than the Low stable trajectory and risks for physical symptoms, physical self-concept, and physical activity worsened in young adulthood. Increasers (21%) showed risks for physical symptoms, physical activity, and sleep in adolescence and problems for physical symptoms and physical self-concept persisted in young adulthood. Decreasers (22%) showed risks for physical symptoms, physical self-concept, physical activity, and sleep in adolescence but these risks resolved into young adulthood. Limitations Findings may not generalize to ethnic minorities. Sex differences were not examined due to sample size limitations and most variables, except cardiometabolic risks, were self-reported. Conclusions Findings suggest early treatment of depressive symptoms that includes strategies addressing physical symptoms, physical self-concept, and physical activity may prove beneficial. Screening youth for physical symptoms and declines in health-promoting behaviors may also identify youth at risk of depression onset and progression.

Growth mixture modeling was used to identify different trajectories of body mass index (BMI) among adolescents ages 10-15 from a national sample. Three distinct classes were found for both boys and girls: "normative" (90.9% and 89.7%), "high increasing" (6.3% and 7.4%), and "decreasing" (2.8% and 2.9%). Multinomial logistic regression identified family income as predictive of class membership for boys and pubertal status and being rural as predictive for girls. Parent-reported health was a common predictor across gender. Growth curves of internalizing symptoms and physical activity were modeled to explore trends across classes. Findings highlight complexities in the relations between BMI, internalizing symptoms, and physical activity in this developmental period.

The present study examined the longitudinal relations between body mass index (BMI) and internalizing symptoms among youth ages 10-17. Adolescents were selected from Statistics Canada's National Longitudinal Survey of Children and Youth (NLSCY). Latent growth curve modeling was used to investigate: 1) whether initial level (at age 10) or change in BMI were associated with changes in internalizing symptoms; and, 2) whether initial level or change in internalizing symptoms were associated with changes in BMI across adolescence. Associations between trajectories differed for boys and girls. Boys who started out with higher BMI experienced more internalizing symptoms across early- to mid-adolescence, but not more depressive symptoms at ages 16 and 17. For girls, there was a bidirectional relation between BMI and internalizing symptoms which persisted into later adolescence. Results suggest the bidirectional relation between BMI and internalizing symptoms is more salient for girls than for boys.

Aboriginal youth are at disproportionate risk for depression and substance use problems. Increasingly, developmental theories have shifted from focusing on vulnerabilities to protective factors for adolescent depression. In particular, theories emphasizing protective factors are relevant when understanding the mental health of Aboriginal youth. However, it is unclear which factors protect against depressive symptomatology among Aboriginal adolescents to promote optimal development. Using multilevel growth curve modeling, the present study had three main objectives. First, we aimed to model the developmental trajectory of depressive symptoms using a sample of off-reserve Aboriginal youth from a national Canadian dataset (ages 12-23). Second, we sought to examine the relationship between alcohol use behaviors, self-esteem, optimism, and the trajectories of depressive symptoms. Lastly, we investigated whether self-esteem and optimism mediated the relationship between alcohol use and depressive symptoms. Gender differences were also examined within each of the study objectives. A sample of off-reserve Aboriginal youth (N = 283; 48.3% male) was selected from cycles 4-7 of the National Longitudinal Survey of Children and Youth. Heavy drinking was a risk factor for depressive symptoms, while self-esteem and optimism were key protective factors for depressive symptoms among early adolescent Aboriginal youth. Further, the developmental trajectory of depressive symptoms among Canadian Aboriginal youth differed for boys and girls once accounting for risk and protective factors. Thus, it is valuable to integrate the protective role of self-esteem and optimism into developmental theories of depression and mental health intervention programs for early adolescent Aboriginal youth.

We examine concurrent and longitudinal associations between sleep duration (SD) and body mass index (BMI) from adolescence to young adulthood, controlling for physical activity and internalising symptoms. Sex and age group differences (early adolescent group ages 12-15 years and late adolescent group ages 16-18 years) are examined.A randomly selected community-based sample of youth (N = 662; 48.3% males) were surveyed biannually from 2003 (T1) to 2014 (T6).We found sex and age group differences for the concurrent and longitudinal associations between SD and BMI. For males, shorter SD at baseline was concurrently related to higher BMI. For females, shorter SD at baseline was associated with longitudinal increases in BMI, for the late adolescent group only.Findings show that the association between SD and BMI, previously shown in childhood, continues to be significant in adolescence and young adulthood. Developmentally appropriate and sex-specific strategies for motivating and supporting healthy sleep habits in adolescence that may help to prevent weight gain into young adulthood are discussed.

Some Aboriginal youth are at disproportionate risk of using substances and developing abuse and dependence disorders. However, not all Aboriginal youth misuse substances and limited research has examined the protective factors conferring against substance use among these youth. The present study aimed to identify protective factors related to the alcohol use trajectories from early adolescence to emerging adulthood among off-reserve Canadian Aboriginal youth. Participants (N = 330; 50.3% male) aged 12-23 were selected from cycles 2-7 of Statistics Canada's NLSCY. Multilevel modeling was employed to identify protective factors for two constructs of alcohol use. Participation in weekly activities and optimism were found to be protective for both the frequency of alcohol use and heavy drinking trajectories. Attendance of religious services was also found to be protective for heavy drinking behaviors. In contrast, positive peer relationships were a risk factor for frequency of alcohol use, but not heavy drinking. The results provide preliminary evidence of important developmental factors to integrate into substance use intervention programs targeting Aboriginal youth.