Marijuana use and intentions among American Indian adolescents: Perceived risks, benefits, and peer use

The present study examines how perceptions of peer use, risks of use, and benefits to oneself and others from marijuana use are associated with past-month marijuana use and intentions to use marijuana socially among American Indian (AI) youth.

The American Drug and Alcohol Survey (ADAS), a measure of substance use and related factors, was administered to AI youth living on or near reservations across six geographic regions (n = 3,498, 49.5% female, M age = 14.8).

Greater perceived peer use was significantly associated with more frequent past-month marijuana use (b = .05, p = .038) and intentions to use marijuana socially (b = .74, p < .001). Greater benefits to oneself were associated with greater marijuana use intentions (b = .35, p < .001). Greater perceived risks and benefits to others were significantly associated with less frequent past-month use (b = -.02, p = .002; b = -.01, p = .007, respectively) and intentions to use marijuana socially (b = -.05, p = .001; b = -.03, p = .002, respectively). Multilevel moderation analyses revealed that the effects of perceived peer use and benefits to oneself were related to intentions to use although stronger for those who had used; however, the effects of perceived risks and benefits to others were only significantly related to intentions to use marijuana for those who had used marijuana.

Results suggest that perceived benefits to others and risks are malleable factors that may be effective components of treatment programs for youth who report lifetime marijuana use, but that perceived peer use and benefits to oneself may be useful in both treatment and prevention efforts for youth who have or have not used marijuana. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).