Peer norms regarding drug use and drug selling among household youth in a low-income 'drug supermarket' urban neighborhood

Abstract

Aims : To describe, illustrate, and assess the reliability and construct validity of a method for assessing peer norms regarding drug use and selling. Design and participants : Face-to-face interviews of young adults (age 18-24) selected through multi-stage probability sampling in a low-income, high drug use, urban environment. Measurements : Subjects reported what proportion of their close friends actually encouraged them to use specific drugs, or would have objected to such use, currently and at age 15. Findings : Self-reports of peer norms are highly reliable, and have considerable construct validity in predicting drug behaviors. There is little encouragement of drug use, and substantial objection to use of drugs other than marijuana. While few subjects had many friends who encouraged them to sell drugs, about a third of the subjects said few if any of their friends would object to their selling drugs. Objection to drug use is more common, and encouragement of drug use less common, among women's peers than among men's peers. Conclusions : These items can be used to reliably and validly assess young adults' peer norms regarding drug use. Men and women report different peer norms.