ERIC Number: EJ1190281
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2015
Pages: 8
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0968-7637
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
School's In! Predicting Teen Cannabis Use by Conventionality, Cultural Disposition and Social Context
Hakkarainen, Pekka; Karjalainen, Karoliina; Raitasalo, Kirsimarja; Sorvala, Veli-Matti
Drugs: Education, Prevention & Policy, v22 n4 p344-351 2015
Aims: We aimed to study a latent social structure behind the variables associated with teenagers' cannabis use at the individual level and, in a social context, formed by school class. Methods: The data used come from the European School Survey Project on Alcohol and Other Drugs (ESPAD), conducted in Finland in 2011 (N=3744, response rate 89.6%). Methods used were Latent Class Analysis (LCA) and Multilevel Logistic Regression. The differences observed between pupil groups were interpreted through the concepts of social norms (conventionality of behaviour) and cultural dispositions. Findings: Four different latent classes of pupils were found: the "Conventionalists", the "Alco-rebels", the "Sub-cultural conventionalist" and the "Subcultural rebels". Although "Sub-cultural conventionalists" were aware of the cannabis culture, only a small proportion of them had ever tried cannabis. The risk for cannabis use was pronounced in all pupil groups compared to "Conventionalists", the risk being the highest among "Sub-cultural rebels." There was statistically significant variation in the cannabis use between schools, when the individual-level variables were taken into account. Conclusions: The findings stress the cultural and normative heterogeneity of school children and the importance of the school environment. The cultural competence of "Sub-cultural conventionalists" could be utilized in the preventive work.
Descriptors: Marijuana, Social Environment, Predictor Variables, Adolescents, Foreign Countries, Behavior Standards, Social Behavior, Prevention, Drug Abuse
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Finland
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A