School bonds and the onset of substance use among Korean youth: an examination of social control theory.

Yoonsun Han,Heejoo Kim,Julie Ma

doi:10.3390/ijerph120302923

Abstract

This study examined the association between school bonds and the onset of substance use among adolescents in South Korea. Based on Hirschi’s social control theory, this study tested the roles of teacher attachment, educational aspiration, extracurricular activities, and rule internalization—four elements of social bonds within the school setting—in delayed initiation of alcohol drinking and cigarette smoking. Discrete-time logistic regression was used to analyze five waves of the Korea Youth Panel Survey (N = 3449 at baseline), a nationally representative sample of Korean youth. Stronger teacher attachment, higher educational aspiration, and higher rule internalization were correlated with delayed onset of alcohol drinking and cigarette smoking. On the other hand, participation in school extracurricular activities was positively associated with the onset of alcohol drinking, but not statistically significantly linked with the onset of cigarette smoking. These findings suggest that early prevention strategies for youth substance use should specifically target school-related factors that represent social bonds developed among youth.

Highlights

This study examined the role of school factors based on the social control theoretical perspective [1]in seeking to understand patterns of first-time substance use behaviors among South Korean (Korea hereafter) adolescents
Underage alcohol drinking and cigarette smoking are of particular public health concern, as extant research has highlighted the associations between substance use in adolescence and a range of subsequent adverse outcomes including involvement in bullying [4], elevated depressive symptoms [5], risky sexual behaviors [6], suicidal ideation and attempts [7,8]
Substance use behaviors that are formed during an early developmental period are likely to extend into adulthood [9] and in turn are at higher risk for progressing to illicit drug use in adulthood [10]

Summary

Introduction

In seeking to understand patterns of first-time substance use behaviors among South Korean (Korea hereafter) adolescents This topic is timely given the high prevalence of underage drinking and smoking among adolescent populations in Korea. Substance use behaviors that are formed during an early developmental period are likely to extend into adulthood [9] and in turn are at higher risk for progressing to illicit drug use in adulthood [10]. This continuum between youth and adult substance use is especially salient among adults who are abusive and dependent substance users [11,12]. Considering the high rate of substance use among adult populations, and the fact that adult risk behaviors are often formed at a young age, one may naturally point to the importance of providing a research basis that can guide prevention and intervention during adolescence

Methods

Results

Conclusion