Adolescent Problem Behavior in Toronto,Canada

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the relative association of unique aspects of social capital at the level of families, schools, and neighborhoods on adolescent self‐reported violence, property crimes, and substance use. Data come from the 2006 Canadian International Youth Survey that asked adolescents between the ages of 12 and 15 in the metropolitan city of Toronto (N = 3, 101) about their problem behavior. Poisson regression models revealed that parental monitoring, school performance, peer approval of illegal activities, and neighborhood social disorder were consistently associated with all three adolescent problem behaviors, net of controls. Results were more mixed for remaining measures of social capital on adolescent problem behavior. Interestingly, neighborhood cohesion was a significant predictor of adolescent substance use, but operated in a direction that was contrary to the proposed hypotheses. These findings highlight the importance of teasing out how different facets of social capital in different environments are linked to adolescent problem behavior.     

Neighborhoods, Family, and Substance Use: Comparisons of the Relations across Racial and Ethnic Groups

This study examines how substance use among adolescents is related to several risk and protective factors derived from two ecological contexts: the neighborhood and the family. It explicitly investigates how the relationships between substance use and the factors vary across different racial and ethnic groups. Findings suggest many common correlates and processes of substance use for adolescents, regardless of race or ethnicity, including that neighborhood safety is associated with substance use. There are also some racial and ethnic group differences in relationships, including that low attachment to and lack of social opportunities in neighborhoods more strongly predict substance use among whites than among other racial and ethnic groups and that family management decreases the relationship between neighborhood safety and substance use among African Americans. A better understanding of the associations among factors that influence substance use across racial and ethnic subgroups can help effectively target preventive interventions for different groups.     

Social and geographic contexts of adolescent substance use: The moderating effects of age and gender

This study investigates whether age and gender moderate the effects of social network and neighborhood contexts on adolescent substance use using a spatially embedded, egocentric social network data set comprised of 254 urban adolescents. Results indicate that substance use is enhanced by being older and male, as well as the presence of neighborhood concentrated disadvantage and interaction with substance using peers at adolescents’ perceived risky places. Older adolescents are more strongly influenced by social and neighborhood contexts than younger adolescents, where ages 14–16 appear to be a key transition age for the emergence of contextual effects on substance use.     

Risk,protection, and substance use in adolescents: a multi-site model

This article reports findings from a national longitudinal cross-site evaluation of high-risk youth to clarify the relationships between risk and protective factors and substance use. Using structural equation modeling, baseline data on 10,473 youth between the ages of 9 and 18 in 48 high-risk communities around the nation are analyzed. Youth were assessed on substance use (cigarette, alcohol, and marijuana use), external risk factors including family, school, peer and neighborhood influences, and individual risk and protective factors including self-control, family connectedness, and school connectedness. Findings indicate strong direct relationships between peer and parental substance use norms and substance use. Individual protective factors, particularly family and school connectedness were strong mediators of individual substance use. These findings suggest that multi-dimensional prevention programming stressing the fostering of conventional anti-substance use attitudes among parents and peers, the importance of parental supervision, and development of strong connections between youth and their family, peers, and school may be most effective in preventing and reducing substance use patterns among high-risk youth.     

Cumulative Social-Environmental Adversity Exposure as Predictor of Psychological Distress and Risk Behavior in Urban Youth

The present study examines exposure to adversity as a predictor of psychological distress and risk behavior among 266 elementary students in 14 low income neighborhood schools in Chicago. Two indices of adversity exposure were created, reflecting neighborhood, school, and peer group risk (NSP) and the lack of protective resources within the family and neighborhood (LPR). Regression analyses investigated these indices as independent and potentially interacting predictors of self-reported symptoms of depression and anxiety, frequency of substance use, and involvement in violence-related behavior. The LPR index was found to be a linear predictor of greater reported anxiety and exhibited a significant curvilinear association with reports of depression, substance use, and violence-related behavior. Similarly, the NSP index was a linear predictor of greater reported levels of substance use and violence-related behavior. Significant interaction between the two indices was found. Implications for research and school clinicians (social workers and psychologists) are offered.     

The Intergenerational Transmission of Social Capital: A Developmental Approach to Adolescent Social Capital Formation*

Previous scholarship has demonstrated the importance of individual characteristics and structural context for understanding social capital formation. However, a developmental approach to social capital formation has, so far, been absent. In this study, I argue that social capital formation must be understood intergenerationally as well as structurally. Using hierarchical linear modeling, I investigate the hypothesized intergenerational transmission of social capital using Waves 1 and 2 of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health. The results show that, in addition to individual characteristics, neighborhood‐level factors, and school‐level variables, parental social capital is an important predictor of adolescent social capital. This study also suggests that the intergenerational transmission of social capital functions, in part, through family structure and that structural differences account for only a relatively small share of the variation in adolescent social capital. Potential explanations for these findings are discussed.     

Examining the Interaction of Daily Hassles Across Ecological Domains on Substance Use and Delinquency Among Low-Income Adolescents of Color

The increased risk for substance use and delinquency among adolescents of color has been partially attributed to increased exposure to daily hassles. Although a certain number of hassles are normative, especially among family and peers, adolescents of color experience more stressors in their neighborhood or directly related to fewer resources than their White counterparts. These hassles may interact across ecological systems to impact behavioral outcomes among adolescents. This may be especially true for young people living in public housing. Based on ecological systems theory, this study tests the relationship between experiences of hassles across multiple ecological levels and problem behaviors in a sample of 315 ethnically diverse early adolescents (M_age = 12; 51% female) living in public housing neighborhoods in two large metropolitan areas in the United States. A positive relationship was found between family hassles and both substance use and delinquency, as well as between school hassles and substance use. When the interactions between family, peer, school, and neighborhood/resource hassles were considered, five statistically significant interactions were found. The study results reinforce the role of contextual factors, such as living in low-income neighborhoods and the complexity of hassles interacting at multiple levels of a young person’s daily ecology, on adolescent outcomes.     

Substance Use,Distress, and Adolescent School Networks

This study examined the associations of substance use, psychological distress, and mental health services receipt with the structure and content of adolescent school‐based networks. Using data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health, we found that substance use was associated with receiving more, but making fewer, peer nominations. It also was associated with less favorable network characteristics, such as low GPA. Services receipt was associated with receiving and making fewer nominations, less favorable network characteristics, and a lower likelihood of reciprocated best friendships. Psychological distress had fewer significant associations. All associations were modest in magnitude. Our results suggest the importance of considering multiple indicators of socioemotional problems and multiple dimensions of social networks in research on adolescent peer relations.     

Adolescent substance use and family-based risk and protective factors: a literature review

Adolescent substance use has become a serious concern nationwide. Although there are many ways of viewing adolescent substance use, family influence has been established as one of the strongest sources of risk and protection. A review of the literature indicated relevant theories for understanding adolescent substance use and specific family-based variables influencing adolescent substance use. In general, there seems to be a relationship between adolescent substance use and family-based risk and protective factors. Relevant theories identified in the literature review include family systems theory, social cognitive theory, social control theory, and strain theory. Specific family-based risk and protective factors include family relationships such as with siblings and parents and family characteristics such as ethnicity and religious backgrounds. Future implications for research and prevention/intervention in relation to family-based risk and protective factors are discussed.     

Multidimensional Family Therapy: A Science‐Based Treatment System

MDFT is a family‐based intervention for adolescent substance abuse and associated mental health and behavioural problems (Liddle, 2010). Integrative in several ways, MDFT uses an ecological or contextual conceptual framework to understand the developmental tasks of teens and their families. Research‐derived knowledge about risk and protective factors, and proximal causes, correlates and contributors to adolescent drug and related problems inform clinical thinking and interventions with every case. A multisystems approach, MDFT assesses and intervenes in four areas: (1) the adolescent as an individual and a member of a family and peer network; (2) the parent(s), both as individual adults and in his or her role as mother; father or caregiver; (3) the family environment and family relationships, as manifested in day‐to‐day family transactional patterns; and (4) extrafamilial sources of influence such as peers, school and juvenile justice. Interventions are made within and coordinated across domains. Progress in one area or with one person has implications for and use in others. Individual meetings with parent(s) and teen set the stage for family sessions, and family meetings may offer content and new outcomes that need to be brought to extrafamily meetings with juvenile justice or school personnel. MDFT was developed and tested as a treatment system rather than a one‐size‐fits‐all approach. A treatment system offers different versions of a clinical model that vary according to factors such as clinical sample characteristics (older versus younger adolescents, juvenile justice involved versus no involvement in juvenile justice systems), and treatment parameters (type of clinical setting and treatment dose).     

Age at Entry into Prostitution: Relationship to Drug Use,Race, Suicide,Education Level,Childhood Abuse,and Family Experiences

This study seeks to explore factors related to age at entry into prostitution. Participants were 389 women arrested for prostitution who had attended a diversion program. Women who entered prostitution as minors were found to be more likely to be African-American; report having a family member with a substance use problem; have a history of attempted suicide; and not have completed middle or high school. The age at first drug use was found to significantly impact the reported age at entry. Key areas for intervention should include improving school connectedness and preventing adolescent substance abuse, specifically for African-Americans.     

ADOLESCENTS AS A SOURCE OF SOCIAL CONTROL: THE UTILITY OF ADOLESCENT SOCIAL CAPITAL FOR REDUCING VIOLENT DELINQUENCY

Parental social capital has emerged as an important social control component of adolescent delinquency. However, for severe forms of delinquency, such as violence, adolescent social capital is as likely a source of social control as adult social capital. This study uses the first two waves of the Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health to show that parental social capital has little effect on violence once parental and family characteristics are controlled. However, both neighborhood and school adolescent social capital reduce adolescents' violent behavior in spite of strong controls of peer fighting, prior violent offending, and neighborhood-level variables.     

Social Activity,School-related Activity,and Anti–substance Use: Media Messages on Adolescent Tobacco and Alcohol Use

In this article, we present the effects of three hypothesized protective factors—social activities, school-related activities, and anti–substance use media messages—on adolescent tobacco and alcohol use. Data were drawn from the “Monitoring the Future” research project, which was conducted by the Institute for Social Research at the University of Michigan. The sample included 2,551 twelfth-grade students. The results of the structural equation model showed that exposure to media anti-drug messages had an indirect negative effect on tobacco and alcohol use through school-related activity and social activity. The results suggest that comprehensive ecological interventions encompassing media, family, and school can increase the preventive effects of adolescent's substance use.     

Social Activity, School-Related Activity, and Anti-Substance Use Media Messages on Adolescent Tobacco and Alcohol Use

In this article, we present the effects of three hypothesized protective factors: social activities, school-related activities, and anti-substance use media messages on adolescent tobacco and alcohol use. Data were drawn from the "Monitoring the Future" (MTF) research project, which was conducted by the Institute for Social Research at the University of Michigan. The sample included 2,551 twelfth-grade students. The results of the structural equation model showed that exposure to media anti-drug messages had an indirect negative effect on tobacco and alcohol use through school-related activity and social activity. The results suggest that comprehensive ecological interventions encompassing media, family, and school can increase on the preventive effects of adolescent's substance use.     

The Social Ecology of Race and Ethnicity School Achievement Gaps: Economic,Neighborhood, School,and Family Factors

This study used a nationally representative sample of middle and high school students to examine the degree to which economic, neighborhood, school, and family factors contributed to three points on a proposed school outcome continuum: (1)avoidance of problem behavior, (2)sense of school coherence, and (3)grades. Multilevel models were employed to account for the clustering of students inside schools. Results suggested that though family and neighborhood social factors contribute to variance in school outcomes, family and neighborhood economic factors revealed the largest potential to explain and therefore present leverage points to reduce race and ethnicity achievement gaps.     

Financial Strain,Neighborhood Stress,Parenting Behaviors,and Adolescent Adjustment in Urban African American Families

Using latent variable structural equation modeling, we tested a theoretical model linking financial strain, neighborhood stress, parenting behavior, and adolescent adjustment. The sample consisted of 305 African American families living in inner city neighborhoods. Of the families, 40% were living at or below the U.S. poverty threshold. The primary caregiver and a focal adolescent (mean age 13.5 years) were interviewed separately in each family. The results indicated that the income‐to‐need ratio was significantly related to financial strain and neighborhood stress, both of which were positively associated with psychological distress in parents. Parent psychological distress was positively related to more negative and less positive parent–adolescent relations, which predicted a lower positive and higher negative adjustment in adolescents. The results extend previous findings by demonstrating that neighborhood characteristics are an important mediator between economic hardship and parent and adolescent behaviors.     

Psychosocial,Motivational, and Contextual Profiles of Youth Reporting Different Patterns of Substance Use During Adolescence

This research examined patterns of substance use and academic factors among a sample of 733 African‐American and European‐American adolescents from a metropolitan area. First, youth were classified into 11th grade high, moderate, or no substance use groups and classified as users, initiators, desistors, and nonusers based on eighth and 11th grade use. Nonusers did not differ in eighth grade from 11th grade moderate users and initiators over time. Eighth graders who reported misbehavior and having low‐achieving friends were more likely to be high 11th grade users and users at both grades. Direct achievement effects were not found; however, interactions indicated achievement was protective when paired with having fun at school, high task value, and low levels of socioeconomic status (SES); and was a risk factor when paired with positive self regard, low fun at school and high SES. Cluster analyses indicated the most prevalent group of substance users reported high grades, social reasons for going to school, and having friends who do well in school.     

Assimilation Choices Among Immigrant Families: Does School Context Matter?

This article explores the relationship between social context, measured in terms of school characteristics, and the assimilation of immigrant adolescents. First, it develops a measure of assimilation based on comparing immigrant adolescents to native peers within the same school. Second, it investigates whether immigrant adolescents’ degree of assimilation varies systematically according to school socioeconomic status (SES). Third, it explores the role of parental and adolescent behavior in creating such variation. Results show that both Asian and Hispanic immigrant youth are less assimilated to native youths’ substance use and delinquency patterns in lower‐SES schools. This association can be explained by parenting behaviors and adolescent friendship choices for Asian youth, but not Hispanic youth.     

Similarity and the Quality of Online and Offline Social Relationships Among Adolescents in Israel

Studies on online social relationships have focused on how Internet use is associated with sociability, but have not compared the quality of online with offline relationships. On the other hand, studies on adolescent friendship formation have used school samples disregarding the Internet as a new social context for it. We took a different approach, studying the relationship between the social context of acquaintance (school, neighborhood, and online) and the structure and quality of friendships among adolescents. In a representative sample of Israeli adolescents (n=980), similarities in age, gender, and place of residence were studied in respect of the social sphere in which each friend was met (neighborhood, school, and online communication). We found that when a friend was met at school the likelihood of similarity in age, gender, and place of residence was higher than when contact was made online. Friends met in the neighborhood and schools were usually closer than friends met online. However, social similarity mattered even for friends who were met online. The more similar an online friend was in residence and gender, the stronger was the social tie.     

Patterns of Alcohol and Marijuana Use at School

The problem of adolescent substance use has been examined extensively. Beyond simple prevalence estimates, however, little research has been conducted on substance use in the school context. The present investigation was an in‐depth study of students' attitudes and behaviors regarding alcohol and marijuana use during the school day. Based on a representative sample of 1123 high school students, this study assessed the frequency of alcohol and marijuana use at school among demographic subgroups, the accessibility of drugs in school, and students' perceived consequences of being caught using drugs in school. The results showed that male and Hispanic students had higher levels of drug use at school than female and white students, respectively; that school drug use increased with age, and that alcohol and marijuana were easily obtained and used on school grounds. A large percentage of students were not aware of the specific actions taken in their schools to punish drug use. The need for additional research on school‐related drug use is emphasized.