The consumption of psychotropic substances among children with externalized disorders: Consumption portrait and characteristics associated with early initiation to cigarettes, alcohol and cannabis
This study was designed (1) to describe the consumption of psychotropic substances among pre-adolescents with externalized disorders and (2) to identify the personal, family and social characteristics which differentiate those who have been introduced to psychotropic substances from those who do not consume them. The sampling was composed of 194 children (54 girls) between the ages of 9 and 11 years who received psychosocial services in the schools for externalized behaviour problems. At the beginning of the study, 30.4 % presented Conduct Disorders (CD), 56.2 % Oppositional Defiance Disorders (ODD), and 80.4 % had an Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). The results indicate that 41.2 % of the youth who had externalized behaviour problems had been introduced to a psychotropic substance before the age of 12 years. Compared to youth who abstained, those introduced to psychotropic substances presented more symptoms associated with violating rules and with anxiety. The girls who had been introduced to psychotropic substances early presented certain temperamental characteristics of activity, intensity and distractibility. On the family level, more of these youth came from family environments in which the parents abused or were dependant on drugs and presented antisocial behaviours. Lastly, on the social level, if the children who were introduced to psychotropic substance had a network composed of a larger number of friends, more of these friends had also been introduced to cigarettes, alcohol and cannabis. In the light of these results, already in elementary school, the intervention with youth who have externalized behaviour disorders should include a systematic screening procedure and preventive actions which propose positive social models.