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The association of unemployment from age 21 to 33 with substance use disorder symptoms at age 39: The role of childhood neighborhood characteristics
Journal article   Open access   Peer reviewed

The association of unemployment from age 21 to 33 with substance use disorder symptoms at age 39: The role of childhood neighborhood characteristics

Jungeun Olivia Lee, Tiffany M. Jones, Rick Kosterman, Isaac C. Rhew, Gina S. Lovasi, Karl G. Hill, Richard F. Catalano and J. David Hawkins
Drug and alcohol dependence, v 174
01 May 2017
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2017.01.005
PMID: 28273647
Featured in Collection :   UN Sustainable Development Goals @ Drexel
url
https://europepmc.org/articles/pmc5400710View
Accepted (AM)Open Access (License Unspecified),  Open

Abstract

Behavioral health Life course Perceived neighborhood characteristics in childhood Substance use Unemployment Young adulthood
•Duration of unemployment was associated with alcohol use disorder symptoms.•Duration of unemployment increases nicotine dependence disorder symptoms.•Child neighborhood factors were predictive of nicotine dependence symptoms.•Child neighborhood factors predicted cannabis use disorder symptoms.•The impact of unemployment on nicotine dependence might be stronger for women. This study examined whether duration of unemployment from ages 21 to 33 was associated with symptoms of alcohol use disorder, nicotine dependence disorder, and cannabis use disorder at age 39, after accounting for childhood and early adult involvement in substance use and other indicators of psychopathology. Analyses also investigated whether dimensions of perceived neighborhood characteristics during childhood and adolescence contributed to the link between unemployment and substance use disorder symptoms during adulthood. Potential gender differences were examined. Using life-course calendar data from a prospective longitudinal study (N=677), participants’ unemployment history was measured from ages 21 to 33. General childhood and substance use-specific neighborhood characteristics were assessed at ages 10–18. Findings from negative binomial regression models showed that duration of unemployment was associated with higher levels of alcohol use disorder and nicotine dependence symptoms, after adjusting for earlier involvement in substance use. Substance use-specific neighborhood factors during childhood were associated with symptoms of nicotine dependence and cannabis use disorder. Findings also suggest that the detrimental impact of unemployment on nicotine dependence symptoms was possibly stronger for women. Findings suggest that unemployment may be an important risk factor for alcohol use disorder and nicotine dependence symptoms, indicating that public health efforts providing strategies to cope with unemployment, particularly for women who experience chronic unemployment, may be promising. Additionally, substance use-specific neighborhood characteristics during childhood should be considered as part of a prevention strategy to ameliorate adult nicotine and cannabis use problems.

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19 citations in Web of Science
23 citations in Scopus

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UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

This publication has contributed to the advancement of the following goals:

#3 Good Health and Well-Being

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Collaboration types
Domestic collaboration
Web of Science research areas
Psychiatry
Substance Abuse
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