COMPARISON OF 3 THEORETICAL-MODELS OF SUBSTANCE USE AMONG URBAN MINORITY HIGH-SCHOOL-STUDENTS

Objective: This study compares the relative explanatory power of three theoretical models of substance use among urban minority high school students. Method: A substance use survey was administered in the spring of 1991 to a randomly selected sample of classrooms in the ninth through twelfth grades of three public academic high schools in a New York City borough. Survey participants (N = 919) were 59% black and 34% Hispanic; the mean age was 16.4 years. Results: Substantial proportions of this sample of students reported experimental or occasional alcohol and cigarette use in the past year, and approximately one-tenth reported frequent use of these substances. Only small proportions of students reported past-year marijuana use, and few or no students reported past-year use of cocaine. crack or intravenous heroin. The socialization model of substance use was much more powerful than either the stress/strain or disaffiliation models in explaining past-year use of alcohol, cigarettes, and marijuana. However, certain variables derived from the stress/strain and disaffiliation models were important risk factors for the frequent use of these substances. Conclusions: These findings suggest that the further elucidation of the social influence process among adolescents and the development, implementation, and evaluation of especially intensive programs aimed at high-risk youths. should become adolescent substance use prevention research priorities.