NCJ Number
202440
Date Published
August 2003
Length
545 pages
Annotation
This report presents the findings from the 1975 through 2002 National Monitoring the Future Survey of secondary school students.
Abstract
This volume reports on the prevalence and frequency of drug use among American secondary school students (8th, 10th, and 12th grades) and analyzes drug use trends among these students. Chapter 1 explains the type of information gathered through the survey and presents the purpose and rationale of the research project. Chapter 2 presents the key findings from the secondary school student survey, which is now in its 28th year and has become one of the Nation’s most reliable sources of information about drug use among American youth. Key findings include the fact that illicit drug use has been steadily, if slowly, declining since 1997. Chapter 3 presents an overview of the study design and procedures, which involves a self-report questionnaire administered to students in approximately 120 to 146 public and private high schools across the United States. Issues of representativeness, sample accuracy, and validity are discussed. Chapter 4 presents the survey findings on the prevalence of drug use among 8th-, 10th-, and 12th grade students. Results include information about drug use over the lifetime, annually, and within the past 30 days. Comparisons in prevalence of use are made for many subgroups, including gender differences, regional differences, and racial/ethnic differences. Chapter 5 offers a trend analysis of the data on secondary school student drug use from 1975 through 2002, including implications for prevention and comparisons among subgroups. Chapter 6 focuses on initiation rates for drug use and presents data on incidence of use by grade level and trends in lifetime use at earlier grades. Chapter 7 presents data and trends on the degree and duration of drug highs among 12th graders. Chapter 8 reports on the attitudes and beliefs about drug use, including perceived harmfulness and attitudes about legality of drug use. Chapter 9 offers data about the influence of peer relationships on drug use and the perceived availability of drugs. Chapter 10 presents other findings from the survey, such as the use of nonprescription stimulants and performance-enhancing substances and national trends in the treatment and counseling for adolescent substance abuse. Tables, figures, appendix