Date of Graduation
2008
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Type
MS
Committee Chair
Steven A. Branstetter
Abstract
Recent research in the areas of substance use and juvenile delinquency has revealed that impulsivity is a multi-dimensional construct. Additionally, researchers have expressed the need for more objective, behavioral measures of impulsive behavior. This study was conducted to examine how a delay-discounting procedure, continuous performance test and questionnaire-based measures of impulsivity relate to substance use and delinquent behavior. The sample was comprised of 42 adolescents (35 male) residing in an inpatient treatment facility for alcohol and substance use. The hyperbolic discounting function did not provide a good fit to the delay-discounting data. As such, the area under the curve (AUC) was calculated and used as the measure of discounting. Path analyses revealed that the AUC was not related to substance use or delinquent behavior. These results are discussed in light of problematic issues that were discovered in using the delaydiscounting procedure with this sample.
Recommended Citation
Grady, Eric S., "Delay discounting in adolescent substance abuse and juvenile delinquency: A comparison of measures of impulsive behavior." (2008). Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD). 11082.
https://researchrepository.wvu.edu/etd/11082