%0 Journal Article
%T The Dysregulation Profile Predicts Cannabis Use in the Offspring of Teenage Mothers
%A Natacha M. De Genna
%A Cynthia Larkby
%A Marie D. Cornelius
%J ISRN Addiction
%D 2013
%R 10.1155/2013/659313
%X Background. Offspring of teenage mothers are at greater risk of early drug use. Research has identified a child behavior checklist (CBCL) profile for children with high levels of comorbid behavior problems, the dysregulation profile (DP), as another risk factor for drug use. Method. Teenage girls (12¨C18 years old; 71% African-American, 29% White) were recruited during pregnancy. Data were collected during pregnancy and when offspring were 6, 10, and 14 years old ( ). Mothers completed the CBCL when children were at ages 6 and 10, and children who scored 60 or higher on all 3 DP subscales (aggression, anxiety/depression, and attention problems) were categorized as dysregulated. At ages 10 and 14, the offspring (50% male, 50% female) reported on their cannabis use and completed the childhood depression inventory (CDI). Results. DP at age 6 and depressive symptoms at age 14 predicted recent cannabis use in the offspring. There was a significant interaction between race and pubertal timing such that White offspring who matured earlier were at greater risk of recent cannabis use. Conclusions. The results of this study suggest that it may be possible to identify a subset of children at risk of dual diagnosis as early as age 6. 1. Introduction Researchers have identified a child behavior checklist (CBCL) profile for children with high levels of comorbid aggressive behavior, anxiety/depression, and attention problems, the Dysregulation Profile (DP). This profile, first identified by Biederman et al. [1], was initially considered junior or pediatric bipolar disorder and was labeled CBCL-PBD. More recently, however, the phenotype has been characterized as disruptive behavior disorders [2] and/or severe mood dysregulation and labeled DP [3]. DP appears to be highly genetic and relatively stable across childhood [4, 5]. The results of recent longitudinal studies suggest that children with DP are at greater risk of developing comorbid mood and substance use disorders by young adulthood [6¨C9]. There is a strong link between mood disorders and cannabis use during adolescence [10]. The effect appears to be unidirectional, with cannabis use preceding the onset of depressive symptoms [11]. In several longitudinal studies, adolescents who used cannabis were at greater risk of developing depression [11¨C14]. Fergusson and Horwood [15] reported that early use of cannabis (by age 16) predicted major depression by age 18 in a New Zealand birth cohort, even after controlling for adolescent mood disorder. Patton and colleagues found that daily adolescent cannabis use predicted
%U http://www.hindawi.com/journals/isrn.addiction/2013/659313/