NCJ Number
167980
Journal
Journal of Quantitative Criminology Volume: 13 Issue: 2 Dated: (June 1997) Pages: 143-180
Date Published
1997
Length
38 pages
Annotation
Because peer influence is regarded as one of the strongest determinants of juvenile delinquency and adolescent drug use and a commonly held view is that social pressure from friends to use drugs and alcohol is significant, this research examined the role of peer pressure in mediating the effect of differential association on individual drug use.
Abstract
Drawing on differential association and social learning theories, the research specified social processes such as socialization, group pressure, social selection, and rationalization which dictated causal pathways leading to and from drug use and then estimated reciprocal influences among differential association, social pressure from peers, attitudes favorable toward drug use, and individual drug use. Using data from the 1977-1979 National Youth Survey, a covariance structural equation model was estimated which allowed for correlated measurement error. Cross-sectional analyses revealed no main effects of overt peer pressure on drug use. Estimation of the reciprocal effects model also revealed overt peer pressure did not significantly influence drug use and did not mediate the effect of differential association. Instead, influences of socialization, social selection, and rationalization played important roles in understanding adolescent drug use. Supplemental data on the correlational analysis are appended. 82 references, 8 tables, and 5 figures