Risk Factors for Different Dimensions of Adolescent Drug Use

Abstract

ABSTRACT The purpose of this investigation is to analyse which risk factors in the family, school and peer domains have an effect on the use of different types of drugs (alcohol, tobacco and narcotics) and on frequencies of drug use. Another question to be addressed is whether the number of risk factors present also has an effect on the different dimensions of drug use. A total of 467 students aged 14–15 (234 boys and 233 girls) were included in the study and a series of multivariate logistic regressions were estimated. The results show that the effects of family disruption, conflict in the family, parental monitoring, academic performance, time spent with friends and peer deviance differ significantly across the various dimensions of drug use studied. Parental monitoring, time spent with friends and peer deviance showed themselves to be the most important risk factors across these various dimensions. The number of risk factors present was also found to have an effect on drug use.