We next sought to examine cross-lagged influences across the transition from late childhood into the early adolescent years, and these respective paths were added to the cascades model. It is important that a significant path emerged linking late childhood externalizing problems to CAD symptoms in early adolescence. This finding is consistent with a substantial range of findings linking adolescent substance use to conduct disturbance. Furthermore, this relation is further instantiated by the significant path between early adolescent externalizing problems, and late adolescent cannabis use problems. Thus, continuities in externalizing problems further contribute to increases in substance abuse difficulties later in adolescence. Of note, in addition to the direct influence of child maltreatment on CAD symptoms, indirect pathways to early substance problems and increases in these problems in late adolescence via externalizing pathology are supported.
