Comorbidity among depression, conduct disorder, and drug use from adolescence to young adulthood: Examining the role of violence exposures

We assessed relations among depression, conduct disorder, and drug use from adolescence to young adulthood, and evaluated whether exposure to violence contributed to disorder co-occurrence. We used data from the Project on Human Development in Chicago Neighborhoods. Respondents were 1215 years old in 19951997 (N = 1,517), and were reinterviewed in 19972000 (n = 1,315), and 20002002 (n = 1,210). We examined exposure to violence at ages 1215 and 1417, and depression, conduct disorder, and drug use at ages 1417 and 1720. Multivariate transition models revealed an association between prior conduct disorder and drug use, as well as a relationship between prior depression and conduct disorder. Adolescent exposure to violence was associated with higher odds of conduct disorder and drug use but not depression. Comorbid relations between conduct disorder and drug use were independent of prior exposure to violence. Although preventing adolescent exposure to violence may reduce the risk of conduct disorder and drug use by young adulthood, future research needs to investigate alternative determinants of sequential comorbidity among depression, conduct disorder, and drug use in adolescence and young adulthood.