Evaluator: Hsieh, T., Simpskins, S., Vandell, D.

Evaluation Methods:

Longitudinal data was analyzed using 978 participants from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development (SECCYD). At ages 15 and 18, participants completed an online survey reporting the time they spent in (1) unsupervised time with peers, (2) organized sports, (3) other organized activities, and (4) paid employment. They also reported alcohol and marijuana usage within the past year. At age 26, 814 of the participants completed an online survey reporting on binge drinking, marijuana use, and illicit drug use. Researchers used logistic regression, binomial regression, and ordinary least squares (OLS) regression analyses to predict the odds of substance use at age 26.

Evaluation Type: Non-experimental

Summary of Outcomes:

This study found that adolescents’ time spent in out-of-school settings during high school predicted substance use at age 26; however, specific out-of-school settings were differentially related to substance use in early adulthood, with unsupervised time with peers and participation in organized sports associated with increased substance use, whereas time spent in other organized activities was associated with a lower likelihood of substance use at age 26. 

Researchers found that participants who spent their out-of-school hours during high school unsupervised with their peers were significantly more likely to engage in binge drinking, marijuana use, and illicit drug use at age 26, even when controlling for high school substance use. In addition, participation in organized sports was a risk factor associated with binge drinking at age 26. In contrast, participants reporting time spent in other organized afterschool activities, such as community service and performing arts, were far less likely to use illicit drugs at 26, but results were not statistically significant regarding binge drinking and marijuana usage when controlled for other factors. Paid employment was not predictive of substance use in early adulthood. 

Findings were consistent with previous studies examining the relationship between out-of-school settings and alcohol and marijuana use in high school, but adds a new layer by predicting the relationship that specific out-of-school settings have on adult substance use. The researchers suggest that future studies should examine why unsupervised time with peers and participation in organized sports are persistent risk factors for problematic substance use, whereas participation in other organized activities may serve as a protective factor against such behaviors.