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Table 1 Characteristics of individuals with and without the onset of cannabis use and the univariate associations with the onset of cannabis use

From: Predictors of onset of cannabis and other drug use in male young adults: results from a longitudinal study

Variable categories and variables

No onset of cannabis use

Onset of cannabis use

OR (95% CI)

p

 

n = 2,562

n = 212

  

Demographics

    

Age in yearsa, M (SD)

19.4 (1.2)

19.3 (1.4)

0.92 (0.82-1.05)

.21

Lower educational level (Ref.)b

1,892 (75.2%)

149 (72.7%)

  

 Higher educational level

623 (24.8%)

56 (27.3%)

1.14 (0.83-1.57)

.42

Living alone (Ref.)c

64 (2.5%)

6 (2.9%)

  

 Living with parent or parents

2,345 (92.2%)

191 (91.4%)

0.87 (0.37-2.03)

.75

 Living with partner

62 (2.4%)

5 (2.4%)

0.86 (0.25-2.96)

.81

 Living with friends or in institution

72 (2.8%)

7 (3.3%)

1.03 (0.33-3.25)

.95

Means of subsistence: own person (Ref.)d

618 (24.3%)

30 (14.4%)

  

 Own person and others persons or institutions

1,030 (40.6%)

83 (39.7%)

1.66 (1.08-2.55)

.02

 Other persons or institutions

891 (35.1%)

96 (45.9%)

2.22 (1.46-3.39)

<.01

Not living in a partnership (Ref.)e

2,437 (96.0%)

198 (94.7%)

  

 Living in a partnership

102 (4.0%)

11 (5.3%)

1.33 (0.70-2.51)

.39

Having no siblings (Ref.)f

164 (6.6%)

5 (2.5%)

  

 One or two siblings

1,873 (75.6%)

163 (81.5%)

2.85 (1.16-7.05)

.02

 Three or more siblings

440 (17.8%)

32 (16.0%)

2.38 (0.91-6.23)

.08

Religion and religiosity

    

Christian religion (Ref.)g

1,929 (76.5%)

161 (78.2%)

  

 Muslim religion

123 (4.9%)

6 (2.9%)

0.58 (0.25-1.35)

.21

 Other religion

54 (2.1%)

7 (3.4%)

1.55 (0.70-3.47)

.28

 No religion

415 (16.5%)

32 (15.5%)

0.92 (0.62-1.37)

.69

Atheist (Ref.)h

611 (24.2%)

61 (29.6%)

  

 Agnostic

387 (15.3%)

29 (14.1%)

0.75 (0.47-1.19)

.22

 Unsure what to think about god

304 (12.0%)

31 (15.0%)

1.02 (0.65-1.61)

.93

 Belief in god but not practicing

808 (32.0%)

67 (32.5%)

0.83 (0.58-1.19)

.32

 Belief in god and practicing

413 (16.4%)

18 (8.7%)

0.44 (0.25-0.75)

<.01

Health

    

Physical health (SF-12, scale 0-100)i, M (SD)

55.0 (5.1)

55.1 (5.3)

1.00 (0.98-1.03)

.77

Mental health (SF-12, scale 0-100)j, M (SD)

50.5 (8.3)

49.3 (7.7)

0.98 (0.97-1.00)

.04

Depression (MDI, scale 0-50)k, M (SD)

6.1 (6.8)

7.7 (7.5)

1.03 (1.01-1.05)

<.01

Low physical activity (IPAQ) (Ref.)l

249 (10.6%)

16 (7.9%)

  

 Moderate physical activity

583 (24.9%)

56 (27.7%)

1.50 (0.84-2.66)

.17

 High physical activity

1,510 (64.5%)

130 (64.4%)

1.34 (0.78-2.29)

.29

No attention deficit syndrome (ASRS) (Ref.)m

2,494 (97.5%)

201 (95.3%)

  

 Attention deficit syndrome

65 (2.5%)

10 (4.7%)

1.91 (0.97-3.77)

.06

No anti-social personality disorder (Ref.)n

2,317 (91.4%)

174 (84.1%)

  

 Anti-social personality disorder

217 (8.6%)

33 (15.9%)

2.03 (1.36-3.01)

<.01

Social context

    

Grew up with both parents (Ref.)o

2,105 (83.1%)

155 (74.2%)

  

 …with parent and step-parent

101 (4.0%)

20 (9.6%)

2.69 (1.62-4.46)

<.01

 …with one parent

297 (11.7%)

33 (15.8%)

1.51 (1.02-2.24)

.04

 …with adoptive or foster parents or in institution

30 (1.2%)

1 (0.5%)

0.45 (0.06-3.34)

.44

No parental divorce before the age of 18 (Ref.)p

2,053 (81.2%)

142 (68.9%)

  

 Parental divorce before the age of 18

476 (18.8%)

64 (31.1%)

1.94 (1.42-2.65)

<.01

Lower educational level of the father (Ref.)q

1,419 (56.3%)

99 (46.7%)

  

 Higher educational level of the father

1,103 (43.1%)

108 (50.9%)

1.40 (1.06-1.86)

.02

Lower educational level of the mother (Ref.)r

1,559 (62.0%)

110 (52.9%)

  

 Higher educational level of the mother

956 (38.0%)

98 (47.1%)

1.45 (1.09-1.93)

.01

Financial situation of the family (Scale 1-7)s, M (SD)

3.6 (1.0)

3.5 (1.0)

0.92 (0.79-1.06)

.22

Good relationship with parents before the age of 18 (Ref.)t

2,115 (82.8%)

166 (78.3%)

  

 Bad relationship with parents before the age of 18

438 (17.2%)

46 (21.7%)

1.34 (0.95-1.88)

.10

Lower parental rule setting at the age of 15 (Ref.)u

972 (38.1%)

94 (44.3%)

  

 Higher parental rule setting at the age of 15

1,579 (61.9%)

118 (55.7%)

0.77 (0.58-1.03)

.08

Lower parental knowledge of peers and the

    

 whereabouts at the age of 15 (Ref.)v

491 (19.2%)

55 (25.9%)

  

 Higher parental knowledge of peers and the

    

 whereabouts at the age of 15

2,060 (80.4%)

157 (74.1%)

0.68 (0.49-0.94)

.02

No psychiatric problem of father at age of 15 (Ref.)w

2,401 (94.2%)

198 (93.8%)

  

 Psychiatric problem of father at age of 15

147 (5.8%)

13 (6.2%)

1.07 (0.60-1.93)

.81

No psychiatric problem of mother at age of 15 (Ref.)x

2,471 (97.1%)

197 (93.8%)

  

 Psychiatric problem of mother at age of 15

75 (2.9%)

13 (6.2%)

2.17 (1.19-3.99)

.01

No psychiatric problem of peer/s at age of 15 (Ref.)y

1,672 (66.1%)

124 (59.6%)

  

 Psychiatric problem in the peer/s at the age of 15

857 (33.9%)

84 (40.4%)

1.32 (0.99-1.76)

.06

Peer pressure (PPI total score, range -3 - +3)z,

    

M (SD)

0.2 (0.4)

0.3 (0.5)

2.13 (1.47-3.08)

<.01

Substance use

    

Never used alcohol (Ref.)aa

368 (15.4%)

21 (10.0%)

  

 Have used alcohol

2,021 (84.6%)

189 (90.0%)

1.64 (1.03-2.61)

.04

No alcohol use in the previous 12 months (Ref.)ab

150 (6.3%)

7 (3.4%)

  

 Alcohol use - not at risk (AUDIT-C)

847 (35.7%)

58 (28.0%)

1.47 (0.66-3.28)

.35

 Alcohol use - at risk (AUDIT-C)

1,376 (58.0%)

142 (68.6%)

2.21 (1.02-4.81)

.04

Never used any tobacco product (Ref.)

1,692 (66.0%)

102 (48.1%)

  

 Have used a tobacco product

870 (34.0%)

110 (51.9%)

2.10 (1.58-2.78)

<.01

No cigarette use in the previous 12 months (Ref.)ac

2,037 (81.6%)

132 (65.0%)

  

 Very low nicotine dependence (FTND)

351 (14.1%)

63 (31.0%)

2.77 (2.01-3.82)

<.01

 Low, moderate or high nicotine dependence (FTND)

109 (4.4%)

8 (3.9%)

1.13 (0.54-2.37)

.74

Never used drugs other than cannabis (Ref.)ad

2,429 (95.7%)

194 (92.8%)

  

 Used drugs other than cannabis

108 (4.3%)

15 (7.2%)

1.74 (0.99-3.04)

.05

Personality

    

Sensation seeking (BSSS total score, range 1-5)ae,

    

M (SD)

2.8 (0.8)

3.1 (0.8)

1.70 (1.43-2.02)

<.01

Aggression (ZKPQ, subscale, range 0-10)af, M (SD)

3.8 (2.2)

4.0 (2.2)

1.04 (0.98-1.11)

.24

Sociability (ZKPQ, subscale, range 0-10)ag, M (SD)

5.6 (2.3)

6.0 (2.1)

1.08 (1.01-1.15)

.02

Anxiety (ZKPQ, subscale, range 0-10)ah, M (SD)

1.9 (1.9)

2.1 (2.2)

1.08 (1.01-1.15)

.03

Military training school

    

 Not started yet (Ref.)ai

388 (23.6%)

34 (27.9%)

  

 Started

256 (15.5%)

14 (11.5%)

0.62 (0.33-1.19)

.15

 Finished

897 (54.5%)

61 (50.0%)

0.78 (0.50-1.20)

.25

 Discontinued

106 (6.4%)

13 (10.7%)

1.40 (0.71-2.75)

.33

  1. Values are numbers (%) unless stated otherwise.
  2. Notes: Separate binary logistic regression model for each variable. Missing values: an = 1, bn = 54, cn = 22, dn = 26, en = 26, fn = 97, gn = 47, hn = 45, in = 21, jn = 21, kn = 28, ln = 230, mn = 4, nn = 33, on = 32, pn = 39, qn = 45, rn = 51, sn = 14, tn = 9, un = 11, vn = 11, wn = 15, xn = 18, yn = 37, zn = 62, aan = 175, abn = 194, acn = 74, adn = 28, aen = 3, afn = 5, agn = 5, ahn = 5, ain = 1,005; SF-12 = 12-Item Short-Form Health Survey; MDI = Major Depressive Inventory; IPAQ = International Physical Activity Questionnaire; AUDIT-C = Short form of the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test; FTND = Fagerström Test for Nicotine Dependence; ASRS = Item Screener of the Attention Deficit Syndrome Self Report Scale; BSSS = Brief Sensation Seeking Scale; ZKPQ = Zuckerman-Kuhlman Personality Questionnaire; PPI = Peer Pressure Inventory.