Is there a gender paradox in the association between conduct problems and cannabis use? A cohort‐study among Swedish adolescents
Year: 2023
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: INTRODUCTION: Conduct problems (CP) predict cannabis use prospectively but the research is mixed as to whether this association is stronger among girls. A stronger association among girls would suggest a 'gender paradox' as both CP and cannabis use is less common in this group. This study aimed to assess whether the longitudinal association between CP and cannabis use in Swedish adolescents is stronger among girls. METHODS: Data from two waves of a nationally representative cohort study of Swedish adolescents born in 2001 were used. Baseline measurements were collected in 9th grade (at age 15-16) and follow-up measures at 11th grade (at age 17-18). RESULTS: CP at baseline were significantly associated with cannabis use at follow-up adjusted for hyperactivity problems, emotional problems, socio-demographics, parental monitoring, school grades and truancy at baseline (odds ratio [OR] 1.14, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.06-1.24) but not when also adjusting for substance use at baseline. Boys were more likely to have used cannabis during the past year, even when controlling for prior substance use (OR 2.29, 95% CI 1.76-2.98). The association between CP and cannabis use was significantly weaker for boys (OR 0.83, 95% CI 0.72-0.95 in the fully adjusted model). The predicted probability of cannabis use was stable at 0.13 for boys across levels of CP, but ranged from 0.05 to 0.16 for girls. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: The longitudinal association between CP and cannabis use was stronger among girls. The findings are indicative of a 'gender paradox' in the association between CP and cannabis use.
Source: Drug and Alcohol Review
DOI: 10.1111/dar.13763
Authors: Patrik Karlsson, Mats Ekendahl, Jonas Raninen
Institutions: Stockholm University, La Trobe University, Karolinska Institutet
Language: English
Subfield: Epidemiology
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
Estimated APC paid: $4,220
Awards: Old enough to drink – then what? Examining alcohol consumption in a cohort with historically low levels of drinking., New Trends in Asymptotic Methods for Multiscale PDEs, How can we understand youth substance use? An empirical investigation of how different theoretical models fare in Sweden
OpenAlex ID: W4387866039