Early Substance Use and School Achievement: An Examination of Latino, White, and African American Youth

• Author: Alan J. Lizotte,Monica L. Rodriguez,Cynthia Perez McCluskey,Marvin D. Krohn
• Published date: 01 July 2002
• Date: 01 July 2002
• DOI: 10.1177/002204260203200313
• Subject Matter: Article

© 2002 BY THE JOURNAL OF DRUG ISSUES

JOURNAL OF DRUG ISSUES 0022-0426/02/03 921-944

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Cynthia Perez McCluskey, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor in the School of Criminal Justice and

Faculty Research Associate in the Julian Samora Research Institute at Michigan State University. Her

current research examines delinquent behavior from a life course perspective and attempts to identify

the precursors and consequences of school dropout, delinquency, and substance use among diverse

youth. Marvin D. Krohn, Ph.D., is Professor of Sociology with a joint appointment in the School of

Criminal Justice at the University at Albany, State University of New York. His research focuses on

theoretical explanations of juvenile delinquency and adolescent drug use with special attention to social

network and interactional theories within a life-course perspective. He is a co-principal investigator of

the Rochester Youth Development Study (RYDS), a panel study of 1000 high-risk youth from age 13 to

their mid-twenties. Alan J. Lizotte , Ph.D. is Professor of Criminal Justice at the University at Albany,

State University of New York. He is a co-principal investigator on the Rochester Youth Development

Study. He enjoys using quantitative research methods to study issues related to firearms ownership

and control and related to the causes and correlates of various forms of antisocial behavior. Monica L.

Rodriguez, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor at the Department of Psychology, University at Albany,

and a William T. Grant Foundation Faculty Research Scholar of Mental Health. Her research interests

include the development of self-regulatory processes, the role of future orientation and life goals in

ethnic minority adolescents’ social adjustment, and family processes and adolescent development in

Latino families in the U.S.

EARLY SUBSTANCE USE AND SCHOOL ACHIEVEMENT:

AN EXAMINATION OF LATINO, WHITE, AND AFRICAN

AMERICAN YOUTH

CYNTHIA PEREZ MCCLUSKEY, MARVIN D. KROHN, ALAN J. LIZOTTE, MONICA L.

RODRIGUEZ

This study examines the impact of early substance use on school completion.

From a life-course perspective, early deviance can interrupt adolescent

development, including education. Studies have cited substance use in early

adolescence as a risk factor for school dropout; however, few studies examine the

relationship with diverse samples. Using longitudinal data from the Rochester Youth

Development Study, we examine the impact of early alcohol and drug use on high

school completion relative to other risk factors for Latino, White, and African

American males. Once family, school, and life events are considered, early alcohol

and drug use exerts an independent influence on the failure to complete high school

for White and African American males. Among Latino males, the relationship

between early use and school completion appears to be mediated by impregnating

a partner.

MCCLUSKEY, KROHN, LIZOTTE, RODRIGUEZ

922 JOURNAL OF DRUG ISSUES

INTRODUCTION

From a historical perspective, the importance of a high school education in the

United States has increased substantially. Technological advances have heightened

the demand for skilled labor, and a high school diploma serves as a minimum

requirement for employment or further education and training (U.S. Department of

Education, 1999). The consequences of failing to graduate high school can be costly.

Permanent high school dropouts may find themselves without the skills or

qualifications to acquire a secure, well-paying job with potential for advancement.

High school dropouts have higher rates of unemployment, are more likely to receive

public assistance, and earn less money when employed than high school graduates

(U.S. Department of Education, 1999).

This paper examines high school completion from a life-course perspective.

Research based on life-course theory has found that early deviant behavior can

impact the timing and success of behavioral trajectories, including education (Krohn,

Lizotte, & Perez, 1997; Newcomb & Bentler, 1988; Sampson & Laub, 1993). This

study extends existing research and examines the relationship between early

substance use and school completion across three ethnic groups.

LIFE-COURSE THEORY

As Sampson and Laub (1992) describe, the life course is characterized by two

principal concepts: trajectories and transitions. Trajectories are defined as behavioral

sequences that develop over the life span and include “long-term, age-graded patterns

of development in major social institutions such as family, education, occupation,

and crime” (Thornberry, 1997, p. 4). Transitions are short-term changes in the life

course and include movement into or out of behavioral trajectories. They are “marked

by specific life events (e.g. first job or first marriage) that are embedded in trajectories

and evolve over shorter time spans” (Sampson & Laub, 1992, p. 66).

Three significant elements of behavioral trajectories have been identified and

include entrance, success, and timing (Thornberry, 1997). Entrance signifies whether

an individual experiences a particular developmental trajectory in the life course;

for example, some individuals experience marriage in their lifetime while others

may not. Success refers to the accomplishment of developmental tasks within a

trajectory, such as high school graduation. Timing refers to when transitions into or

out of trajectories occur. Since trajectories are ordered by age, some transitions

occur at appropriate times, while others are considered to be “off-age” or “off-

time” (Thornberry, 1997). Off-time transitions include teen pregnancy and

parenthood, which mark the premature entrance to adulthood. Newcomb and Bentler

(1988) have described the early adoption of adult roles as ‘precocious transitions,’