The role of peer and adult models for drug taking at different stages in adolescence

Abstract

Peer and adult models are known to exert strong influences on the initiation of adolescent drug use. In this study five hypotheses concerning the role of self-perceived availability of the two types of models at different times in adolescence were tested. The results indicate that maturation is accompanied by an increasing perception of adult and peer models for four types of substance taking. Furthermore, the correlations between use rates and the number of adult and peer models seem systematically influenced by maturation for marijuana and pill variables, but are not as clearly changed for different alcohol use indicators. The perceived number of peer models is more related to usage rates than the perceived number of adult models for girls at all ages. There is differential association between self-use and the perceived number of peer and adult models only at the high school level for boys.