The role of temperament in the relationship between early onset of tobacco and cannabis use: The TRAILS study (Temperament en riskant cannabisgebruik in de adolescentie)

This is a Dutch version of an earlier published article in English

This study focuses on the role of temperament in adolescent cannabis use and on the interplay between temperament and two other risk-factors of cannabis use, i.e. early onset cigarette smoking and affiliation with cannabis-using peers. Objectives were studied using data from TRAILS, a large, general population study of around 2000 adolescents. Findings indicate that adolescents with higher levels of sensation seeking are at increased risk of early onset smoking, which increases their risk of early onset cannabis use. Furthermore, temperament influences the risk of transition from smoking to cannabis use. Regular cannabis use is less likely among adolescents with higher levels of effortful control, and this is mediated by their lower proportion of cannabis-using friends. The interrelation between cannabis use, smoking and affiliation with cannabis-using peers supports the implementation of intervention methods that do not only address cannabis misuse but also co-occurring problems in other areas.