Friends, attachment and substance use in adolescence

Abstract

Friends' alcohol and drug use is one of the best-known social predictors of substance use in adolescence and can be explained by two main mechanisms: socialization (being influenced by one's friends' substance use) and peer selection (choosing friends who have similar substance use habits). In this study, we first examined the bidirectional relations between 182 adolescents' and their friends' self-reported alcohol and cannabis use frequency from ages 14 to 16. Then, we tested the moderating role of the participants' attachment-related avoidance and anxiety, measured using the Attachment Scale Questionnaire, in how these relations unfold between ages 15 and 16. Cross-lagged models with interaction analyses supported both mechanisms for both substances, but selection was stronger. However, attachment moderated only socialization; Socialization of alcohol use was stronger for non-avoidant adolescents while socialization of cannabis use was stronger for preoccupied adolescents. These results may have implications for improving prevention and intervention.