School of Social Work, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, MC-082, Urbana, Illinois 61801, USA.
J Stud Alcohol Drugs. 2010 May;71(3):400-9. doi: 10.15288/jsad.2010.71.400.
Understanding developmental differences in reasons for quitting substance use may assist clinicians in tailoring treatments to different clinical populations. This study investigates whether alcohol-disordered and problem-drinking emerging adults (i.e., ages 18-25 years) have different reasons for quitting than younger adolescents (i.e., ages 13-17 years).
Using a large clinical sample of emerging adults and adolescents, we compared endorsement rates for 26 separate reasons for quitting between emerging adults and adolescents who were matched on clinical severity. Then age group was regressed on total, interpersonal, and personal reasons for quitting, and mediation tests were conducted with variables proposed to be developmentally salient to emerging adults.
Among both age groups, self-control reasons were the most highly endorsed. Emerging adults had significantly fewer interpersonal reasons for quitting (Cohen's d = 0.20), and this association was partially mediated by days of being in trouble with one's family. There were no differences in personal reasons or total number of reasons for quitting.
Our findings are consistent with developmental theory suggesting that emerging adults experience less social control, which here leads to less interpersonal motivation to refrain from alcohol and drug use. As emerging adults in clinical samples may indicate few interpersonal reasons for quitting, one challenge to tailoring treatments for them will be identifying innovative ways of leveraging social supports and altering existing social networks.
了解不同年龄段停止使用物质的原因，可能有助于临床医生根据不同的临床人群调整治疗方法。本研究旨在探讨酒精障碍和问题饮酒的成年早期（即 18-25 岁）与年轻青少年（即 13-17 岁）相比，是否有不同的戒酒原因。
本研究使用了一个大型的成年早期和青少年临床样本，我们比较了在临床严重程度上相匹配的成年早期和青少年群体中，26 种不同戒酒原因的认可率。然后，我们将年龄组回归到总戒酒原因、人际戒酒原因和个人戒酒原因，并用被认为与成年早期发展相关的变量进行中介测试。
在两个年龄组中，自我控制原因是最被认可的原因。成年早期人际戒酒原因明显减少（Cohen's d = 0.20），这种关联部分由与家人发生麻烦的天数来介导。个人原因或戒酒总原因方面没有差异。
我们的发现与发展理论一致，即成年早期经历的社会控制较少，这导致他们对避免饮酒和吸毒的人际动机减少。由于临床样本中的成年早期可能表明人际戒酒原因较少，为他们量身定制治疗方法的一个挑战将是寻找创新的方法来利用社会支持和改变现有的社交网络。
