Normalisation theory: Does it accurately describe temporal changes in adolescent drunkenness and smoking?

Area of Science:

• Adolescent health behaviors
• Substance use research
• Social epidemiology

Background:

• The multiple risk model suggests accumulating risk factors elevate adolescent substance use.
• Normalization theory posits that population-level substance use influences individual behavior, especially for low-risk adolescents.
• This study examines the interplay between risk factors, population trends, and adolescent alcohol and cigarette consumption.

Purpose of the Study:

• To empirically test the predictions of the multiple risk model and normalization theory.
• To investigate how population-level trends in drunkenness and smoking affect individual-level risk-taking among adolescents.
• To analyze the relationship between accumulating risk factors and adolescent substance use in a nationally representative sample.

Main Methods:

• Utilized five waves of the Israeli Health Behaviour in School-aged Children survey data.
• Focused on 10th-grade Jewish adolescents.
• Employed logistic regression models to assess the impact of population use changes and risk factors on drunkenness and smoking.

Main Results:

• Each additional risk factor (up to two) increased the likelihood of adolescent drunkenness and smoking.
• Beyond two risk factors, additional risks did not significantly elevate the probability of substance use.
• Changes in population-level substance use did not consistently alter the individual-level relationship between risk factors and adolescent behavior.

Conclusions:

• Findings strongly support the multiple risk factor model.
• Evidence for normalization theory's predictions regarding adolescent substance use was inconsistent.
• The study highlights the significant role of cumulative risk factors in adolescent substance use.