A social bonding-drug progression model of amphetamine use among young women

Social bonding theory explains less serious drug use better than use of hard drugs. The difference in prediction may be due to the omission of intervening variables between the bond and serious drug use, such as experience with minor drugs. In this study the impact of the social bond on amphetamine use is examined among a national sample of high school senior women. Included in the model is the notion of drug progression, in which individuals first use minor drugs and progress to illicit drugs. To ascertain whether the bond is mediated through use of less serious drugs, cigarettes, alcohol, and marijuana are utilized in the analysis. Among the bonding variables, religious commitment has the only significant direct effect on amphetamines. Overall, elements of the bond explain less variance in amphetamines than in cigarettes, alcohol, and marijuana. Combining drug progression with social bonding theory substantially increases the explained variance of amphetamines.