NCJ Number
206835
Journal
Addiction Volume: 99 Issue: 7 Dated: July 2004 Pages: 897-906
Editor(s)
Griffith Edwards
Date Published
July 2004
Length
10 pages
Annotation
This study investigated suspected behavioral autarcesis, a mechanism of non-specific shielding from or immunity to infection or disease.
Abstract
The thesis that is presented is that dimensions and individual elements of the adolescent behavioral repertoire (ABR) may have autarceologic properties, functioning in effect as a second skin that can shield or enhance risk of harm. Autarcesis is defined as mechanisms of health promotion and disease prevention that help shield the host from effective contact with the disease agent, such as drugs. Building from a growing body of evidence on adolescent activities in relation to drug experience, this study examined the possible behavioral autarcesis. The strength of association linking five dimensions of the ABR (religious, socializing, sports-related, gender socialization, and home-based activities) with the occurrence of the earliest stages of drug involvement is examined. Data were gathered from the PACARDO Project, a cross-sectional survey investigating the health and behavior of adolescents in Panama. Results from the study of school-attending youths in the seven countries of the PACARDO region are generally consistent with hypothesized autarceologic properties of the ABR. This study extends prior research on the links between religious behavioral repertoire and actual drug use. The findings indicate that higher levels of the religious behavioral repertoire are also related to a reduced opportunity to try a drug. In summation, the study provides an initial glimpse of associations linking the ABR to the onset of drug opportunity and initiation within the seven participating countries in the PACARDO region of the Americas. Tables, references