Abstract
Aggression is a typical feature of drug users, and it is negatively correlated with the age at onset of drug use. However, the mechanism underlying this association is not clear. By using a combination of semi-structured interviews and questionnaires in 527 drug users who have been withdrawn, the present study established a structural equation model to explain the mechanism of the relationship between age at onset of drug use and aggressive behavior. The results show that psychological dysfunction and violence exposure mediate the relationship between the age at onset of drug use and aggressive behavior. This model is different between males and females. The effect of psychological dysfunctions on aggressive behavior is not significant in females. These results illustrate that individuals who start taking drugs at a younger age are more aggressive. On the one hand, early drug use may increase damage to internal psychological dysfunction of drug users; on the other hand, early drug use may change their living environment and increase violence exposure. These two paths explain the relationship between age at onset of drug use and aggressive behavior. Further research should compare different kinds of drugs, and longitudinal studies should be conducted to get causality in essence.
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Data Availability
The datasets used or analysed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.
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This work was supported by the National Key Research and Development Program of China (2018YFC0831002).
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YL and BY designed the study. YL and XG conducted literature searches and drafted the manuscript. YL performed the statistical analyses. YL, XG, and BY critically revised the manuscript. All 3 authors contributed to and have approved the final manuscript.
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Liu, Y., Guo, X. & Yang, B. Age at onset of drug use and aggressive behavior: The role of internal and environmental factors. Curr Psychol 40, 6227–6237 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-021-02013-x
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-021-02013-x