Psychosocial correlates of adolescent drug involvement

This study evaluates the ability of a four-factor psychosocial model to explain adolescent drug involvement. Subjects are a representative sample of seventh- and eighth-grade public school students. A cross-sectional sample of data was extracted from a multiyear longitudinal assessment of a statewide drug education program. Data were collected through administration of the Youth Life-Styles Inventory, a specially designed drug-involvement assessment instrument. The belief that substance use has both external (sociological) and internal (psychological) causes guided the selection of independent variables. Factor analysis was used to disclose the interrelated structures of the psychosocial variables. A four-factor model was produced offering a concise theoretical paradigm of the underlying psychosocial determinants of adolescent drug use. This model was regressed on two indexes of drug involvement. Findings should prove useful in policy formulation and design of adolescent drug education and treatment programs. The explanatory potency of the four-factor model should aid in the investigation of adolescent drug use. The results indicate the need for children to bond with peers, parents, and others who have drug-resistant attitudes, and with conventional institutions such as schools.