NCJ Number
237976
Journal
Journal of Alcohol and Drug Education Volume: 55 Issue: 3 Dated: December 2011 Pages: 23-40
Date Published
December 2011
Length
18 pages
Annotation
This study examined the links between youth assets (e.g., future aspirations, parental expectations, and positive peer influence) and their involvement with alcohol, cigarette, or marijuana use, as well as sexual behavior among students 14-18 years old living in a rural State.
Abstract
The study found significant relationships between the nonuse of alcohol and the availability of peer help, parental expectations, and positive peer influence. An adolescent who had any one of these assets was approximately 1.2 to 3.5 times less likely to have used alcohol than an adolescent who did not have any of the assets. There were significant links between four of the assets and past 30-day cigarette use. Boys who perceived having strong parental expectations and positive peer influence were found to be less likely to be engaging in past 30-day cigarette use. The asset of parental support was found to be a protective factor for girls; whereas, having deviant friends was a risk factor for past 30-day cigarette use. Parental support and positive peer influence were found to be linked to nonuse of marijuana in the past 30 days. Assets of parental support and positive peer influence were protective factors for girls regarding having had sexual intercourse in the past year. Peer deviance was a risk factor for having had sexual intercourse in the past year for both girls and boys. The overall implication of this study is that an asset-development framework is needed in designing preventive interventions that target alcohol, cigarette, and marijuana use as well as sexual behavior, but must be tailored to gender. Study participants consisted of a random sample of 834 students aged 14-18 years old who attended 2 public school districts in rural Tennessee. 5 tables and 19 references