Risk and protective factors for substance use among urban African American adolescents considered high-risk

This exploratory study examined the relative contribution of academic achievement, peer drug use, and neighborhood attachment on alcohol and marijuana use among African American adolescents considered high-risk. Participants were 291 urban African American adolescents (ages 11 to 18 years) who were identified as at-risk. Youth were administered measures of the constructs of interest. Consistent with previous findings, regression findings revealed that academic achievement and peer drug use were significant predictors of alcohol and marijuana use among high-risk African American youth. However, neighborhood attachment was not significant. Our findings warrant further investigation into the different aspects of neighborhood contexts that may be protective or risk factors for substance use among African American youth considered high risk.