Caring Communities Youth Survey Research Articles

Young Puritans: Adolescent Abstainers and Mental Health

ABSTRACT This paper uses data from 2016 Caring Communities Youth Survey (CCYS) to examine adolescent abstainers from both drugs and antisocial behaviors. Four grade levels (6,8,10,12) with an N = 79, 988 are analyzed. Prior research has defined the abstainer from only a limited number of drugs and/or antisocial behaviors. The present model uses all drugs and anti-social behaviors to describe the abstainer. The paper addresses the debate regarding adolescent abstainers. Are they loners with mental health issues? This research found that abstainers compared to all students have less mental health issues, less depression, and less purposefully hurting themselves behaviors such as cutting or burning. All findings were statistically significant.

Bullied youth: suicide attempts, planning, ideation, and pre-ideation

ABSTRACTThis paper uses student data from the 2016 Caring Communities Youth Survey (CCYS) to examine four victim effects of being bullied. Victim factors examined are suicide pre-ideation ideation, planning, attempts. All four measures of suicidal thoughts and behaviors were positively related to being bullied and were significant.

The drug abstainer

ABSTRACTThis paper uses data on tenth graders from the 2016 Caring Communities Youth Survey (CCYS) to examine the lifetime abstainer from drugs. The abstainer has been a part of Life Course Development literature; within each of the several ages of onset models. Using a model which examines the abstainer from each drug and all drugs, the effect of Prosocial Factors (peer and school) are examined. Findings indicate a very low relationship between high protective/prosocial factors and abstaining. The research of Moffitt that there may be several subtypes of abstainers is supported.

Determining Normal Deviance: Adolescent Drug Use?

ABSTRACTThis research examines change in lifetime drug use frequency among three drugs, marijuana, alcohol and inhalants, and antisocial behaviors using a cohort longitudinal model. Findings indicate marijuana and alcohol use increases with grade level. Inhalants are the only drugs which use decline with grade level. Focus of the paper is whether the use of these three drugs is a normal part of adolescent development. Using three determinants: associations between drug use and grade and scores on an antisocial behavior scale; and percent of abstainers; the authors determined none of the three drugs represent normal deviance. Data are from 2008 thru the 2014 the Caring Communities Youth Survey (CCYS). The concept of normal deviance is discussed.

School and Peers: Examining the Influence of Protective Factors on Delinquency and Age of Onset

ABSTRACTThis paper uses data on 10th graders from 2014 Caring Communities Youth Survey to examine the effect of protective factors on delinquency/age of onset (never, 13 or younger, 14 or older) of two antisocial behaviors (carrying a handgun to school and attacking someone with the intent of seriously hurting them). Two domains of protective factors are used: school and peers. The most significant protective factor for both antisocial behaviors was religiosity which is within the peer domain. Cramer’s V was used because of the nominal level variables, 2 by 3 tables, and large sample. The literature on age of onset and protective factors is discussed.

Determining Normal Deviance: Adolescent Drug Use?

ABSTRACTThis research examines change in lifetime drug use frequency among three drugs, marijuana, alcohol, and inhalants, and antisocial behaviors using a cohort longitudinal model. Inhalants are the only drugs which use decline with grade level. Focus of the article is whether the use of these three drugs is a normal part of adolescent development. Using three determinants: associations between drug use and grade and scores on an antisocial behavior scale; and percent of abstainers; the authors determined none of the three drugs represent normal deviance. Data are from 2008 thru the 2014 the Caring Communities Youth Survey (CCYS).