The Influence of Online-Only Friends on the Substance Use of Young Adults with a History of Childhood Maltreatment

Abstract

Background: Existing research shows that having offline friends that use substances increases risk for individual substance use in adolescence. However, there is little research examining the influence of online social networks on substance use in young adulthood. Objectives: This study examined the number of online-only Facebook friends (i.e. those with no in-person contact) that were substance users in relation to the participants’ alcohol and marijuana use in the past year. Methods: The sample (n = 114) were selected from participants enrolled in a longitudinal study on childhood maltreatment in an urban city within the United States. The mean age of the sample was 21.84 (SD = 1.43), 61% female. With participant permission, data were downloaded from Facebook to obtain the list of online friends. A self-report questionnaire recorded the substance use of each participant. Path analysis and logistic regression were used to examine (a) the number of online-only friends who drink as a predictor of participants’ problem drinking, (b) the number of online-only friends who smoke marijuana as a predictor of participants’ marijuana use, and (c) moderation by maltreatment status. Results: The results showed a significant effect of the number of online-only friends who smoke marijuana on the participant’s marijuana use. However, after including offline friends this significant effect was no longer present, but offline friends predicted individual marijuana use. Conclusions/Importance: These findings demonstrate that substance use in online social networks may be associated with individual use in young adulthood, but that offline influence is stronger.