Attitudinal Tolerance of Deviance in At-Risk Early Adolescents

Objective:Problem behavior theory hypothesizes that adolescent attitudinal tolerance of deviance (ATD) precedes health risk behaviors. We examined ATD patterns among early adolescents with prenatal drug exposure and associated the patterns with subsequent risk behaviors. The ATD patterns were further characterized by concurrent developmental contexts. Method:Participants were 306 urban adolescents (51% girls), primarily African American and of low socioeconomic status, from a prospective birth-cohort study on the effects of prenatal cocaine exposure. ATD was assessed at age 12. Substance use, via self-report and biologic assays, and sexual intercourse before age 15 were assessed at age 15. Adolescents reported on measures assessing their family, peer, and neighborhood environments at age 12. Results:Latent class analysis identified three patterns: intolerance(G1; 59%), tolerance of relational deviance(G2; 30%), and tolerance of all deviance(G3; 11%). The patterns with tolerant attitudes (G2, G3) and the intolerance pattern (G1) were differentially related to subsequent alcohol use and sexual risk behaviors. Adolescents’ current developmental contexts were distinctively associated with the ATD patterns, demonstrating the validity of the extracted patterns. Conclusions:Identifying ATD patterns in early adolescence may facilitate etiology research and prevention strategies among at-risk urban adolescents with prenatal drug exposure.