Does Behavioral Dysregulation Moderate the Links Between Contextual Factors and Substance Use Among Detained Youth?

This study examined whether behavioral dysregulation moderated associations between individual contextual factors (i.e. psychological control, peer delinquency, peer victimization, and negative life events) and the past 30-day frequency of specific substance use (i.e. tobacco, alcohol, marijuana, e-cigarettes, and prescription drugs) in a sample of recently detained youth. Patterns of associations varied among substances, with peer delinquency being the contextual risk factor most robustly associated with the frequency of various substances. Behavioral dysregulation did not moderate these associations, with the exception of psychological control; psychological control was only positively associated with prescription drug use when levels of behavioral dysregulation were low.