Sensation seeking, puberty, and nicotine, alcohol, and marijuana use in adolescence.

Objective: To examine the relationship among nicotine, alcohol, and marijuana use; level of sensation seeking (SS); and pubertal development.

Method: Subjects were early and middle adolescent males and females recruited from a psychiatric clinic (n = 77) and two general pediatric clinics (n = 131). SS was measured by using the Sensation Seeking Scale for Children.