There is a paucity of information about the extent, the patterning, and the structure of problem behavior in the life stage of young adulthood. In this chapter, we examine a number of different forms of young adult problem behavior and the linkages among them.

As defined in Chapter 2, the concept of problem behavior includes those behaviors that are considered a problem, a source of concern, or undesirable by the social or legal norms of conventional society, behaviors that usually elicit negative social sanctions when they occur. Five different areas of young adult problem behavior are described in this chapter; they include problem drinking, marijuana use, the use of other illicit drugs, general deviant behavior, and cigarette smoking.

Problem behavior in young adulthood

Before considering the structure of interrelations among the five problem behaviors, it is useful to describe their assessment and prevalence based on the 1979 and 1981 young adult questionnaires.

Involvement in problem drinking

Our concept of “problem” drinking has consistently focused on alcohol consumption to the point of drunkenness and on the negative social and interpersonal consequences associated with drinking. This perspective echoes Cahalan's (1970) emphasis on drinking-related problems rather than on the amount of drinking per se. Young adult drinkers were classified as problem drinkers if they reported being drunk more than six times in the past six months, or if they reported three or more (out of eight) negative consequences due to their drinking in the past six months.