TY  - JOUR
PY  - 2017//
TI  - Marijuana use trajectories among drug-using youth presenting to an urban emergency department: violence and social influences
JO  - Drug and alcohol dependence
A1  - Walton, Maureen A. L.
A1  - Epstein-Ngo, Quyen
A1  - Carter, Patrick M.
A1  - Zimmerman, Marc A.
A1  - Blow, Frederic C.
A1  - Buu, Anne
A1  - Goldstick, Jason
A1  - Cunningham, Rebecca M.
SP  - 117
EP  - 125
VL  - 173
IS  - 
N2  - AIMS: This paper examined longitudinal marijuana use trajectories among drug-using youth presenting to the ED to inform intervention development. <br><br>METHODS: Given interest in substance use and violence, this study oversampled those presenting with assault injuries. Assault-injured youth (ages 14-24) endorsing past 6-month drug use (n=349), and a sex and age proportionally-sampled comparison group (n=250) endorsing drug use, completed a baseline assessment and follow-ups at 6, 12, 18, and 24 months. Latent class trajectory analyses examined days of marijuana use over 2 years. Multinomial regression analyses examined baseline, 12-month and 24-month factors associated with substance use trajectory groups. <br><br>RESULTS: Trajectory analyses identified 5 groups: Low (Low; 28.2%; n=169); Intermittent (INT; 16.2%; n=97); Moderate Decline (MD; 12.0%; n=72); High decline (HD, 13.2%; n=79) and Chronic (C; 30.4%; n=182). At baseline, as compared to the Low group, the other trajectory groups were more likely to be male and have greater levels of physical aggression. At 12- and 24-months, negative and positive peer influences, incarceration and community violence were additional characteristics associated with the greater marijuana use trajectories (as compared to the Low group). <br><br>CONCLUSIONS: Interventions for drug-using youth presenting to the urban ED should address peer influences, physical aggression and community violence exposure, given the association between these characteristics and greater marijuana use trajectories.<br><br>Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.<p />  <p>Language: en</p>
LA  - en
SN  - 0376-8716
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2016.11.040
ID  - ref1
ER  -