Delay discounting is associated with substance use in college students

This study investigated whether a measure of delay discounting was associated with substance use variables in a sample of college students. Participants (N = 47) completed a substance use survey and a delay-discounting measure that asked them to make a series of choices between a fixed amount of hypothetical money to be delivered immediately and a larger amount to be delivered after a range of delays. Discounting values were significantly associated with a number of substance use variables, most notably age of first alcohol use (r = -.34; P < .05), age of first smoking (r = -.51; P< .05), age of first marijuana use (r = -.48; P < .05), number of times "passed out" from alcohol use (r = .73; P < .01), and total number of illicit drugs used (r = .32; P < .05). Individuals reporting more illicit drug use and younger ages of first use tend to discount the value of future hypothetical rewards more steeply than their peers. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.