Period, age, and cohort effects on substance use among young Americans: a decade of change, 1976-86.
Patrick M. O’malley, Jerald G. Bachman, Lloyd D. Johnston
American Journal of Public Health October 1, 1988 DOI: 10.2105/ajph.78.10.1315 via OpenAlex
Summary
AI-generated from the abstractPeriod, age, and cohort effects on substance use among American youth aged 18 to 28 from the high school classes of 1976 to 1986 are differentiated using a cohort-sequential design based on annual surveys of nationally representative samples of high school seniors and follow-ups. Twelve licit and illicit drugs are examined. Period effects appear for alcohol use (monthly and heavy occasions), marijuana, cocaine, amphetamines, methaqualone, barbiturates, LSD, other psychedelics, and tranquilizers. Age effects are found for heavy drinking, cigarette smoking, monthly and daily alcohol use, and annual prevalence of cocaine, amphetamines, barbiturates, LSD, and narcotics other than heroin. Class effects are seen for cigarette smoking and daily marijuana use.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Cohort-sequential design Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | American youth aged 18 to 28 from high school classes of 1976 to 1986 |
| Duration | 1976 to 1986 |
| Keywords | Heroin Methaqualone Demography Cohort study Substance use |
| Citations | 111 |
| Key finding | Period, age, and cohort effects on substance use vary by drug type, with period effects common across many substances, age effects for several, and class effects limited to cigarette smoking and daily marijuana use. |
Abstract
In an earlier article in this Journal, we reported analyses that differentiated among period, age, and cohort effects on substance use among American youth 18 to 24 years old, from the high school classes of 1976 to 1982 during the period of 1976 to 1982. The present analyses extend the classes and years to 1986, and the age range to 18-28. A cohort-sequential design is employed, based on annual surveys of nationally representative samples of high school seniors, plus annual follow-up surveys of each senior class. Twelve different classes of drugs, both licit and illicit, are examined. Several different types of period, age, and cohort effects over the last decade are identified. Alcohol use (monthly and occasions of heavy use), and the use of marijuana, cocaine, amphetamines, methaqualone, barbiturates, LSD, psychedelics other than LSD, and tranquilizers all showed period effects. Occasions of heavy drinking, cigarette smoking, monthly and daily use of alcohol, and annual prevalence of cocaine, amphetamines, barbiturates, LSD, and narcotics other than heroin showed age effects. Class effects were seen for cigarette smoking and daily marijuana use.