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Influences of Personal, Injunctive, and Descriptive Norms on Early Adolescent Substance Use

NCJ Number
213919
Journal
Journal of Drug Issues Volume: 36 Issue: 1 Dated: Winter 2006 Pages: 147-172
Author(s)
Elvira Elek; Michelle Miller-Day; Michael L. Hecht
Date Published
2006
Length
26 pages
Annotation
This study examined the influences of injunctive, descriptive, and personal norms, as well as the contextual factors of gender and ethnicity on the concurrent substance use of adolescents.
Abstract
Evidence is provided that support the ideas that norms behave differently for different substances and under different time frames. Injunctive, personal, and descriptive norms significantly influence substance use. However, personal norms are found to have a relatively stronger influence. Personal norms play a stronger role in predicting marijuana and alcohol use than cigarette use. Parents appear to play a stronger role than friends with regards to reports of recent substance use, while the reverse appears true for reports of lifetime substance use. In examining the contextual factors of gender and ethnicity, gender demonstrated some moderating effects on the relationship between norms and substance use. The type of substance seemed significant. Overall, the likelihood of substance use appeared more associated with norms of boys than for girls, particularly personal norms against the use of alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs (ATOD) or perceptions that their parents would express anger if they engaged in ATOD use. Ethnicity did not produce as many effects as gender. However, personal norms seemed especially important for the large Mexican/Mexican-American sub-sample. Descriptive norms appeared more important with regards to the marijuana use of Mexican/Mexican-Americans. The study sample of 4,030 students consisted of 2,245 Mexican/Mexican-Americans (48 percent female), 676 Latino or other multiethnic Latino origin (52 percent female), 756 non-Hispanic White students (49 percent female), and 353 African-American students (44 percent female). Tables, references