The Association Between Psychopathology and Substance Use in Young People: A Review of the Literature

This article reviews the recent literature on the association between psychopathology and substance use in young people. An electronic literature search, using PSYCINFO/PSYCLIT and PUBMED/MEDLINE, yielded 93 English-language articles for the period 1990-2008. Of these articles, 89 (95.7%) reported studies conducted in developed countries, 57 (61.3%) had community or population samples, 38 (40.9%) had sample sizes ranging from 500 to 2000 subjects, and 33 (36.7%) had sample sizes of between 50 and 500. The most commonly-used assessment tool (n = 29,31.2%) was the Diagnostic Interview Schedule. Evidence exists for associations between depression and cigarette smoking, between anxiety and cigarette smoking, and between anxiety and alcohol use. The strength of the associations is increased with greater frequency and quantity of substance use, and is influenced by the nature of the psychopathology, the specific substances of use, and demographic factors such as gender, age or developmental stage. The need for more longitudinal studies on community populations, and increased access to funds and resources for researchers in developing countries is highlighted.