e delinquency pathway model proposes that the majority of those whoengage in serious delinquent acts have gone through a sequence of externalizingbehaviors from less to more serious delinquent behaviors. This study examined whetherthe frequency of alcohol, marijuana, and hard drugs exacerbated escalation through thecovert and overt pathways.MethodsData came from the youngest cohort of the Pittsburgh Youth Study (N=503).The young men were followed from mean age of 7 to mean age of 20. Sequences ofoffending were based on ages of onset of covert and overt delinquent behaviors.Survival analyses were conducted to examine the associations of frequency of use withrisk for and timing of movement from the lowest to the highest level in each pathway.ResultsThe frequency of alcohol and marijuana use was related to greater risk ofmoving from the lowest to the highest level in both pathways, and hard drug use vs.nonuse was associated with moving from minor aggression to violence.ConclusionsReducing the frequency of substance use may interrupt escalation throughthe covert and overt pathways for young men once they enter the first l

• s Substance Use Exacerbate EscalationAlong Developmental Pathways of Covert and OvertExternalizing Behaviors Among Young Men