NCJ Number
218613
Date Published
April 2007
Length
98 pages
Annotation
This British study identified factors and strategies linked to youths' resilience to drug use, which pertains to behaviors and methods of avoiding drug use in the face of being exposed to a significant number of risk factors.
Abstract
The study found that youth with resilience toward drug use had insight into the harmful effects of various types of drugs and the reasons why their peers used drugs. They rejected drug use because of their preferences for a lifestyle and relationships without drug involvement, the practical difficulties of being a drug user, and the negative physical and psychological effects of drugs compared to their benefits. Resilient youth tended to use three types of strategies in resisting pressure to use drugs. One strategy was to say "no," followed by explanations as to why they did not use drugs. Another strategy was to avoid drug-related situations or offers, and a third strategy mentioned by the youth was to accept the offer of a drug but never use it. The findings suggest a number of policies that could facilitate youths' resilience to drug use. First, provide youth with accurate information about the harmful effects of various popular drugs. Second, help youth set and achieve positive goals that would be obstructed by drug use. Third, help youth develop strategies for managing the various risk factors that encourage drug use. The 50 youth interviewed for this study were recruited from respondents in the 2003 British Offending, Crime, and Justice Survey, which explored factors associated with youth using drugs. The 50 youth were selected for this study because they had managed to avoid using drugs even though their survey responses indicated they had been exposed to a significant number of risk factors for drug abuse. Tables, 30 references, and appended supplementary information on research methods and instruments