Teenagers and Substance Use

Contents
List of Tables ix
List of Figures xi
Acknowledgements xii
1 Introduction 1
2 Review of Literature 10
Introduction 10
11
Research on peers
Research on peer groups using a social
network approach 13
Research on parents 21
The relative impact of parents and peers 23
Conclusion 25
3 Research Methods 28
Introduction 28
Survey research methods 29
Sources of the data 29
The community: Census of families 29
Population of teenagers 29
The snowball sample of peers 30
Methods of data collection 31
The pilot study 31
Data collection 32
The questionnaire 33
Social network questions 33
Substance use questions 35
36
Coding and data analysis
Coding 36
Data analysis 36
Social network analysis 36
The complete network and peer groups 36
Snowball sample of peer ties 39
Accuracy in network measurement 39
Conclusion 40
4 The Teenagers and their Substance Use 42
Introduction 42
The teenagers 42
Gender 43
Age 43
Occupational status 43
Leisure time 46
Substances used by the teenagers 47
Cigarettes 48
Alcohol 48
Drugs 48
Combinations of substances used 49
Teenagers’ substance use by gender 50
Teenagers’ substance use by age 51
Teenagers’ substance use by occupational status 52
Teenagers’ substance use by education 53
Conclusion 54
5 Teenagers’ Substance Use by Family Influences 57
Introduction 57
The teenagers’ families 57
Teenagers’ substance use by family circumstances 58
Teenagers’ substance use by intact or broken family home 58
Teenagers’ substance use by employment status
of parents 59
Teenagers’ substance use by social class of the family 60
Teenagers’ substance use by parental substance use 61
Teenagers’ substance use by closeness to parents 62
Teenagers’ substance use by parental influence 64
Parental control of the teenagers’ substance use 65
Parental advice against substance use 65
Parental control of choice of friends 66
Parental control of teenagers’ free-time activities 66
Teenagers’ substance use by siblings’ substance use 67
Teenagers’ substance use by siblings’ influence 68
Conclusion 68
6 The Role of Peers in Teenagers’ Substance Use 71
Introduction 71
Selection of peers 72
Formation of peer groups and the complete network 74
Teenagers’ substance use by their social position 76
Similarity in substance use in dyads 80
Similarity in substance use in peer groups 83
Conclusion 86
89
7 Peer Influence and Selection in Peer Groups
Introduction 89
Peer Group 4 90
Peer Groups 8 and 9 99
Conclusion 102
8 Chain Reactions in Teenagers’ Substance Use 105
Introduction 105
Rates of substance use in population and in case studies 106
Similarity in substance use in dyads in complete network 106
Peer influence in the population of teenagers 108
Case studies of peer groups 108
Peer Group 1 109
Similarity in Peer Group 1 116
Peer influence at first substance use in Peer Group 1 117
Peer influence in current substance use in Peer Group 1 119
Peer influence or selection in Peer Group 1 119
Peer Group 2 119
Similarity in Peer Group 2 120
Peer influence at first substance use in Peer Group 2 121
Peer influence in current substance use in Peer Group 2 123
Peer influence or selection in Peer Group 2 123
Peer Group 3 123
Similarity in Peer Group 3 123
Peer influence at first substance use in Peer Group 3 124
Peer influence in current substance use in Peer Group 3 126
Peer influence or selection in Peer Group 3 127
Conclusion 127
9 The Role of Gender in Chain Reactions 131
Introduction 131
Gender and the selection of peers 132
Substance use among the teenagers by their gender 135
Gender and peer influence 140
Gender and the patterning of peer ties 143
Gender in chain reactions 147
Conclusion 148
10 Discussion and Conclusion 150
Discussion 151
Conclusion 163
168
Appendix A Questionnaire
181
Appendix B Absolute Alcohol Consumption Index
Appendix C Drug Classes 182
Appendix D The Patterning of Peer Ties in Peer Groups 6 and 7 183
Glossary of Terms 185
Bibliography 189
Index 197

Another Social Network Books
Download