Abstract
OBJECTIVES: Marijuana use among high school seniors increased during most of the 1970s, decreased throughout the 1980s, and has been increasing again during the 1990s. Earlier analyses of the classes of 1976 through 1986 attributed the historic trends during that period to specific changes in views about marijuana. This study examined whether recent increases in marijuana use among seniors and among students in earlier grades reflect similar processes. METHODS: Multivariate regression analyses were conducted on data from large annual nationwide surveys of high school seniors from 1976 through 1996 (approximate n = 61,000) and 8th and 10th graders from 1991 through 1996 (n's = 87,911 and 82,475, respectively). RESULTS: Individual lifestyle factors (grades, truancy, religious commitment, evenings out for recreation) correlated substantially with marijuana use but did not explain the historic changes in marijuana use. Rather, decreases in perceived risk of harmfulness and in disapproval can account for the recent increases in all 3 grades and for earlier decreases among seniors. CONCLUSIONS: These findings indicate that perceived risks and disapproval are important determinants of marijuana use. Accordingly, prevention efforts should include realistic information about risks and consequences of marijuana use.
Full text
PDF
Selected References
These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.
- Bachman J. G., Johnston L. D., O'Malley P. M. Explaining the recent decline in cocaine use among young adults: further evidence that perceived risks and disapproval lead to reduced drug use. J Health Soc Behav. 1990 Jun;31(2):173–184. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Bachman J. G., Johnston L. D., O'Malley P. M., Humphrey R. H. Explaining the recent decline in marijuana use: differentiating the effects of perceived risks, disapproval, and general lifestyle factors. J Health Soc Behav. 1988 Mar;29(1):92–112. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Bachman J. G., Johnston L. D., O'Malley P. M. Smoking, drinking, and drug use among American high school students: correlates and trends, 1975-1979. Am J Public Health. 1981 Jan;71(1):59–69. doi: 10.2105/ajph.71.1.59. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Jessor R., Chase J. A., Donovan J. E. Psychosocial correlates of marijuana use and problem drinking in a national sample of adolescents. Am J Public Health. 1980 Jun;70(6):604–613. doi: 10.2105/ajph.70.6.604. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Kandel D. B. The social demography of drug use. Milbank Q. 1991;69(3):365–414. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]