Date of Award
Spring 2026
Language
English
Embargo Period
4-24-2026
Document Type
Master's Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Science (MS)
College/School/Department
Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics
Program
Epidemiology
First Advisor
Allison Appleton
Committee Members
Allison Appleton, Melissa Tracy
Keywords
substance use, neighborhood context, developmental periods
Subject Categories
Epidemiology
Abstract
Background
Substance use is a major public health problem. Neighborhood disadvantage and related stressors have been linked to increased substance use in adolescence and early adulthood, although findings are mixed. No studies have explored whether the timing or accumulation of neighborhood stressors in childhood and adolescence impact substance use in early adulthood. This study aims to investigate to what extent physical and social neighborhood stress during sensitive developmental periods influence substance use dependency and illicit substance use in early adulthood.
Methods
We analyzed an imputed sample (n = 7,494) from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC), a longitudinal cohort study located in the United Kingdom. The ALSPAC follows families from pregnancy in 1991 and 1992 through offspring adulthood and remains ongoing. Multivariable logistic regression models were created to assess the relationship between physical and social neighborhood stressors at ages two, 10, and 18 and substance use in early adulthood (i.e., substance use dependency and ever-use of illicit substances). A cumulative model was also created to explore the impact of stress accumulation on substance use.
Results
Physical or social neighborhood stressors were not significantly associated with substance use dependency nor illicit substance use in any of our adjusted models. Child sex, child maltreatment, maternal depression, and maternal marital status were the strongest predictors of substance use in early adulthood. Females had lower odds of substance use in all models compared to males. Children who were maltreated had increased odds of substance use dependency and illicit substance use in all models compared to those who were not maltreated. Maternal depression was significantly associated with increased odds of substance use dependency and illicit substance use. Maternal age and maternal education were significantly associated with illicit substance use but not substance use dependency. Sex and child maltreatment did not modify the association between neighborhood stressors and substance use.
Conclusions
Exposure to neighborhood stressors during childhood and adolescence do not appear to have an independent effect on substance use behaviors in early adulthood. Personal, familial, and sociodemographic factors have a larger impact on substance use than neighborhood context. The extent to which sociodemographic factors influence substance use varies by age and type of substance use. Future research should explore neighborhood stress in combination with other forms of childhood adversity in samples with greater diversity, as well as potential pathways for resilience.
License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Recommended Citation
Ulofoshio, Abigail M., "Associations Between Neighborhood Physical and Social Stressors During Sensitive Developmental Periods and Substance Use in Early Adulthood" (2026). Electronic Theses & Dissertations (2024 - present). 399.
https://scholarsarchive.library.albany.edu/etd/399