Pro-drug-use myths and competing constructs in the prediction of substance use among youth at continuation high schools: a one-year prospective study

Abstract

Experimentation with drugs among adolescents often is preceded by faulty beliefs (myths) regarding drug effects. The present study provides empirical demonstration of the utility of a drug use myths index in the prediction of subsequent drug use in a prospective study of substance use among high-risk adolescents. Drug use was measured as an index of recent cigarette, alcohol and marijuana use. A belief-type drug use myths index was compared as a predictor of drug use with four other frequently researched correlates of drug use. The other measures were of social influence, outcome expectancies, attitudes toward wrongness of drug use and sensation seeking. The belief-type drug use myths, attitudes toward wrongness and sensation seeking indices were found to be significant predictors of drug use among our sample of 1074 youth when controlling for gender, ethnicity and prior drug use. These findings have implications for understanding factors contributing to individual differences in drug use behaviors and could benefit the development of drug education programs for high-risk individuals.