Adolescent substance use is a top national public health concern with approximately 50% of youth having tried an illicit substance by the end of high school. The transition to high school is a critical point for substance use initiation. Despite this fact, there is relatively limited research looking at factors that can protect students from…

Adolescence is a period of growth, independence, and exploration, with increased curiosity and risk-taking behaviors (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2021b). Evidence has shown an increase in mental health concerns during adolescence, including suicidal behaviors (CDC, 2023b; Plemmons et al., 2018; Yard et al., 2021), as well as…

Many studies have been conducted in Africa on the use of psychoactive substances among high school students. However, few studies have examined the psychological mechanisms underlying this consumption. Grounded in self-determination theory (SDT), the present study explored the moderating role of the frustration of basic psychological needs on the…

Background: While a theoretical association between religiosity and substance use is anticipated, there is limited empirical evidence testing this theoretical proposition among Nordic adolescents. It was anticipated that studying these substance-use correlates from a criminological perspective by employing a large sample of students could provide…

Using cannabis (e.g., smoking marijuana) is becoming popular, partly due to a legalization trend across different countries. This tendency has resulted in cannabis consumption being accepted by society as if it were harmless. However, evidence shows that the use of this drug has detrimental effects on cognitive, academic, and professional…

Little is known about the implications of cannabis legalization on adolescent health behaviors. This study sought to examine the relationship between recreational cannabis legalization and adolescent sexual risk behaviors. Data on 371,487 respondents who have ever had sexual intercourse from 41 states in the 2005 to 2019 Youth Risk Behavior Survey…

Substance use in adolescence is a significant public health issue, particularly in early-to-mid adolescence, which represents a window of risk in the etiology of substance abuse and dependence. Substance use during this development period often results from affiliation with deviant peers, who model, facilitate, and reinforce use. Existing…

Rates of suicidal thoughts and behaviors (STB, i.e., suicidal thoughts, plans, and attempts), substance use, and bullying victimization are higher among lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and/or queer (LGBTQ+) youth compared to their heterosexual peers. However, research examining the interactive and potentially compounding associations of…

Because studies examining youth drug use often have data with a high proportion of zeros, they often do not meet the assumptions for univariate or linear regression analyses that are typically used. We demonstrate the use of zero-inflated negative binomial regression models to address excessive zeros in drug use frequency on perceptions of…

Purpose: This study explored differences between lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB)-housed and homeless students regarding substance use patterns on and off school grounds and the unique contribution of homelessness to substance use in school. Methods: Data were from the 2013-2015 California Healthy Kids Survey, a statewide survey of school…

A growing body of literature suggests that youth with severe obesity are engaging in substance use. The purpose of the present study was to examine profiles of substance use among adolescents with severe obesity and examine how these profiles are associated with depressive symptomology using data from the Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System.…

Objectives: Survey items used in surveillance systems to assess the use of emerging products like hookah and electronic inhalant devices (EIDs) may not match definitions used by high-risk populations. This qualitative study explored how African American youth and young adults (YYAs) (1) use hookah and EIDs and (2) identify patterns in the ways…

A primary community prevention approach in Iceland was associated with strong reductions of substance use in adolescents. Two years into the implementation of this prevention model in Chile, the aim of this study was to assess changes in the prevalence of adolescent alcohol and cannabis use and to discuss the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the…

Iceland has witnessed a dramatic decline in adolescent substance use that may be partly the result of efforts related to the Icelandic prevention model (IPM). We sought to test risk and protective factor assumptions of the IPM using a prospective cohort study with 12 months separating baseline from follow-up. Participants were students in grades 8…

Reducing youth cannabis use in Canada is a public health priority with schools of interest as a potential modifier of behavior and as a venue for prevention programming. This work aimed to provide a basis for future policy and programming by evaluating pre-legalization cannabis use change patterns in schools and the impact of school…