NCJ Number
153437
Journal
Health Psychology Volume: 11 Issue: 6 Dated: (1992) Pages: 377-385
Date Published
1992
Length
9 pages
Annotation
Baseline and followup data from 698 students who were not using alcohol, cigarettes, or marijuana during seventh grade were used to test a model of the process of becoming involved with drugs during junior high school.
Abstract
The followup data points were 12 and 15 months later. The final model, which predicted 72 percent of the variance in drug use at the second followup date, provides support for hypotheses based on both social and cognitive theories. Weak familial and school attachments promoted drug use by increasing the likelihood of exposure to pro-drug social influences (drug use offers); weak bonds with school also directly affected cognitive motivations (lower resistance self-efficacy and more positive outcome expectancies). In turn, social influences at the baseline period had a dominant role in initial use at the first followup time, but cognitive motivations were also significant. At the second followup time period, prior use had the most prominent position. Drug-specific measures of resistance self-efficacy and expected use directly affected later use of that drug. The results indicated that both generic and drug-specific effects are needed to explain adolescent drug use. Figures, tables, and 64 references