ArticleFrontiers in psychology2026
Consistent predictors of adolescent substance use: cross-sectional comparison across five countries.
Article in Frontiers in psychology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Background: Adolescent substance use differs across cultures, but the key drivers may be shared. We examined whether country of residence, psychological distress, adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), and Big Five personality traits are associated with alcohol and drug use, and whether these associations vary by country. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional online survey of 5,108 upper-secondary students aged 15-19 from the United States, Sweden, Serbia, Morocco, and Vietnam. Outcomes were scores on the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) and the Drug Use Disorders Identification Test (DUDIT). Predictors included country, age, gender, psychological distress, four ACEs (family alcohol problems, family drug problems, physical abuse, psychological abuse), and Big Five traits. Results: Alcohol use was higher in Sweden and Serbia and lower in Morocco and Vietnam compared with the United States. Drug use was highest in the United States and lower in all other countries (lowest in Vietnam and Serbia). Older age predicted higher AUDIT and DUDIT scores. Gender was unrelated to alcohol use, whereas drug use was highest among young men. Psychological distress showed the strongest positive association with both outcomes. For alcohol, family alcohol and family drug problems predicted higher use; physical and psychological abuse were not significant. For drugs, family drug problems and experiences of physical and psychological abuse predicted higher use; family alcohol problems did not. Personality effects were consistent: extraversion predicted higher use, whereas conscientiousness, agreeableness, openness, and-more modestly for alcohol-neuroticism predicted lower use. Associations were largely stable across countries. Conclusion: While levels of alcohol and drug use differ across countries, the core predictors are consistent: psychological distress and early adversity elevate risk, whereas conscientiousness and agreeableness are protective and extraversion signals vulnerability. Prevention efforts should combine trauma-informed, mental-health approaches with personality-targeted programs. Limitations include uneven country distributions and pandemic timing.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What Socratic holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.