Indicators of substance use among pregnant adolescents in the Mississippi Delta

Data were collected from 293 pregnant adolescents living in the southern Illinois section of the Mississippi Delta region concerning their substance use behaviors in 1989 and 1990. Subjects used a variety of drugs in the past and present. For example, 24.4% of the sample reported they presently smoked cigarettes. Alcohol was used by 20.4% in the previous five months, while 5.2% reported marijuana use during the same period. Regression models designed to predict substance use produced adjusted r2 values of .30 (SE = 1.06) for cigarette use, .38 (SE = .49) for marijuana use, and .43 (SE = .59) for alcohol use. Significant indicators included peer and personal substance use behavior, parental substance use, and having previously received mental health treatment.