Citation

Howard MO, Perron BE, Vaughn MG, Bender KA, Garland EL. J. Stud. Alcohol Drugs 2010; 71(2): 201-209.

Affiliation

School of Social Work, Tate-Turner-Kuralt Building, Campus Box 3550, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 325 Pittsboro Street, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599-3550.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2010, Alcohol Research Documentation, Inc., Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

20230717

PMCID

PMC2841730

Abstract

Objective: Few studies have explored the topography of antisocial behavior in a nationally representative sample of inhalant users. We examined (a) the lifetime prevalence of 20 childhood and adult antisocial behaviors in inhalant users with inhalant-use disorders (IUD+) and without IUDs (IUD-); (b) the nature and strength of associations between inhalant use, IUDs, and specific antisocial behaviors in multivariate analyses; and (c) the relationships between inhalant use, IUDs, and antisocial behaviors in a national sample of adults with antisocial personality disorder. Method: The National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions was a multistage national survey of 43,093 U.S. residents. Respondents completed a structured psychiatric interview. Results: IUD+ and IUD- respondents were significantly younger and more likely to be unemployed, to be male, to have never married, and to report family and personal histories of alcohol and drug problems than inhalant nonusers. Family histories of alcohol problems and personal histories of drug problems were significantly more prevalent among IUD+ respondents, compared with IUD- respondents. In bivariate analyses, IUD+ and IUD- respondents evidenced significantly higher lifetime levels of all childhood and adult antisocial behaviors than inhalant nonusers. IUD+ respondents were significantly more likely than their IUD- counterparts to report bullying behavior, starting physical fights, using dangerous weapons, physical cruelty to people, staying out all night without permission, running away, and frequent truancy in childhood, as well as greater deceitfulness, impulsivity, irritability/aggressiveness, recklessness, and irresponsibility in adulthood. Multivariate analyses indicated that IUD+ respondents had a significantly elevated risk for childhood and adult antisocial behaviors, compared with inhalant nonusers, with the strongest effects for using dangerous weapons, physical cruelty to animals, and physical cruelty to people. Similarly, IUD+ respondents differed significantly from their IUD- counterparts primarily across measures of interpersonal violence. Among persons with antisocial personality disorder, inhalant use and IUDs were associated with greater antisocial behavior, albeit with fewer and weaker effects. Conclusions: Respondents with IUDs had pervasively elevated levels of antisocial conduct, including diverse forms of early-onset and interpersonally violent behavior.

Language: en