As hypothesized, higher levels of religious coping (i.e., reliance on God to deal with one's problems) at 12-14 years old predicted reduced drug use at age 15-16, even when controlling for age and other coping styles. These findings are consistent with the study by Willis et al. (2001), which found that religious coping was negatively associated with alcohol and tobacco use. Although previous studies have shown links between poor coping strategies and increased substance use, the current study provides a unique contribution. First, it differs from previous studies in focusing on the effects of greater religious coping on subsequent drug use/problems rather than on the impact on substance abuse of deficits in certain types of coping. Second, rather than only examining the effects of religious coping on drug use, it also controlled for a variety of other commonly used coping strategies. Third, this is the first study to examine these effects through the use of a longitudinal design. Participants were boys tested during the second (12-14 years old) and third (15-16 years old) assessment waves of a prospective investigation at the Center for Education and Drug Abuse Research. This is an ongoing 20-year study intended to clarify the etiology of substance use disorders. At the time of this study, 326 boys had completed all 3 of the assessment waves. Coping was measured at age 12-14 with the Wills Coping questionnaire, a 54-item inventory that assesses coping responses to problem situations. The Religious Coping subscale included questions regarding reliance upon God for dealing with problems. 2 tables and 46 references