A total of 1,170 sixth and seventh graders, equally divided by gender, participated. Interpersonal risk was assessed by susceptibility to peer pressure, parental monitoring, peer substance use, parent-child involvement, and school adjustment. Intrapersonal risk was measured through self-efficacy, impulsivity, aggression, depression, and academic achievement. As expected, mean level of use did not differ between ethnic groups. Regression analyses showed susceptibility to peer pressure and peer alcohol use were the best predictors of individual substance use. These findings were consistent across gender and ethnicity. In all groups, interpersonal variables accounted for more variance in predicting risk (49 percent for Hispanic males) than intrapersonal variables (0.0 percent for Hispanic females). Findings are discussed in terms of examining mean levels compared to the underlying pattern that predicted substance use, and regarding implications for prevention efforts in early adolescence. 5 tables and 30 references