Religion and drug use among adolescents: A social support conceptualization and interpretation

Abstract

In this paper the relationship between religion and drug use among adolescents is examined. Measures of religious participation and religiosity are found to be strong negative correlates of drug use. Using latent class analytic methods, we develop and test the concept of “social support” to interpret the effects of religion on adolescent drug use. The concept of social support is incorporated into social control theory. The effects of peer associations, deviant values, and parental attachment are also examined in a multivariate analysis. All of the variables examined have a reduced impact on more extensive or serious forms of drug use relative to the effects on minor forms of drug use.