Adolescent Cigarette Smoking, Emotion Regulation, and Arrest

Background and Aims: Arrest during adolescence is associated with myriad negative outcomes, such as increased likelihood of future arrest and decreased likelihood of graduating high school. The goal of this study was to examine whether cigarette use and negative mood regulation during adolescence are associated with likelihood of arrest at two time points: mid adolescence (~age 15) and young adulthood (~age 22). Though alcohol and cannabis use are well established risk factors for arrest during adolescence, cigarette use is often ignored or combined with other substance use. Methods: Participants were recruited from 9th and 10th graders from 16 high schools in the greater Chicago area and were oversampled for ever-smoking a cigarette. Measures, assessed at baseline and at year 7, included past 30 day use of cigarettes, alcohol, and cannabis; the Negative Mood Regulation scale (NMR); the Adolescent Alcohol and Drug Involvement Scale (AADIS); and GPA at baseline. Results: Over a third of participants (36.0%, N = 453) reported arrest at some point during this study (N = 185 arrested at baseline; N = 268 arrested between baseline and year 7). Compared to white participants, participants who identified as Black, Hispanic, and other race/ethnicity were arrested at higher rates than whites (19.2%, 19.4%, 15.2%, and 12.5% respectively at baseline; 34.1%, 28.0%, 33.9%, and 22.1% respectively between baseline and year 7). Arrest at baseline was significantly associated with being male (p < .001, OR = 3.15), having a lower GPA (M = 3.38, SD = 0.76), and reporting alcohol use (p < .001, OR = 2.78), cannabis use (p < .001, OR = 3.10), and cigarette use (p < .001, OR = 2.59). Arrest between baseline and year 7 was associated with being male (p < .001, OR = 2.36), having a lower GPA (M = 3.52, SD = 0.72), and reporting alcohol use (p < .001, OR = 2.27), cannabis use (p < .001, OR = 2.57), and cigarette use (p < .001, OR = 2.13). Emotion regulation (NMR Score) was not significantly associated with arrest at either time point (p = 0.71 at baseline; p = 0.36 between baseline and year 7). Conclusions: Taken together, findings suggest that race, gender, grade point average (GPA), and substance use are strong independent prospective predictors of arrest at both age 15 and age 22. Results underscore the need for substance use prevention efforts among high school students from both a public health and juvenile justice perspective.