Little research has examined mechanisms driving cannabis use disparities among sexual minority (SM; versus heterosexual) young adults (YAs). Participants were US YA women (N = 1345; 24.8% bisexual, 6.1% lesbian) and men (N = 998: 8.9% bisexual, 13.8% gay). Bivariate analyses examined associations between sexual orientation (heterosexual,…

Adolescence marks a transitional phase between childhood and adulthood, in which engagement to the maladaptive behaviors is more likely to occur. Alcohol and substance use among adolescents is of particular concern because it may lead to multiple forms of injuries, hospitalizations, and premature mortality. With the wider availability of the…

The goal of this study was to examine behavioral norm effects in 2 peer contexts (classroom, school) on adolescent substance use (tobacco, alcohol, cannabis) and aggressive behaviors (bullying, physical fighting). Participants were 5,642 adolescents (M[subscript age] = 14.29 years, SD = 1.26; 49% boys). There were 3 hypotheses. First, behavioral…

Background: Early substance use co-occurs with youths' self-organization into deviant peer groups in which substance use is central to social interaction. We hypothesized that the social dynamics of deviant peer groups amplify the risk of progressing from early use to later dependence, and that this influence occurs over and above escalations…