Co-occurrence of antisocial behaviour and substance use from adolescence to early adulthood

ESRC Advanced Quantative Methods scholarship to Jiaxin Deng. This project will apply novel methods to address the major societal challenge of co-occurring antisocial behaviour (AB) and substance use (SU) in young people, to determine the mechanisms driving the co-occurrence of these conditions from mid-adolescence to early adulthood. Four studies will be conducted applying advanced quantitative methods to cross-sectional and longitudinal study designs using data from a current ESRC-funded UK birth cohort study (the Millennium Cohort Study). Multiple statistical and programming skills for data analysis will be applied, including systematic review and meta-analysis, latent variable modelling, network analysis and machine learning algorithms. This research has the potential to advance our understanding of the relationship between AB and SU, the level of stability and change of the co-occurrence of AB and SU, and risk and protective factors for co-occurring AB and SU over time from an interdisciplinary perspective. Findings will help inform the timing and focus of prevention and intervention programmes for these conditions individually and in combination, with potential benefits for young people and their families, mental health researchers, health, social care, education and legal practitioners and services, and policymakers.