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Objectives

This study characterizes patterns of mental health, substance use and their co-occurrence, and identifies developmental trajectories associated with progression from single to concurrent mental health and substance use concerns in an Ontario school-based population. It is a longitudinal extension of the Ontario Student Drug Use and Mental Health Survey, as part of the RAFT collaborative project.

Methods

In this study, an Ontario-wide survey was administered to students across three biennial waves starting in grades 7–8 (ages 12–14). We explored how developmental patterns of externalizing, internalizing and co-occurring symptoms were differentially associated with late-adolescent (ages 17–19) problematic substance use.

Results

On average, students exhibited early (ages 12–14) moderate risk of an internalizing and/or externalizing disorder and approached the low threshold for a diagnostic concern …