An Evaluation of the Social Influences for Black and White Adolescent Substance Use

• In Event: 033 - Section on Crime, Law, and Deviance Roundtable Session and Business Meeting
  In Refereed Roundtable 60min: Table 14. Substance Use

Abstract

Efforts to understand peer influence among adolescents have established the robust relationship between having deviant peers and future deviant behavior. Still, research suggests peer influence affects different types of adolescents in different ways. Specifically, Black adolescents may be less susceptible to friends compared to White adolescents and possess stronger family-orientation, suggesting that siblings may affect deviance of Black adolescents whereas friends will have a minimal impact. This study used data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health to evaluate the relative strength of best friend and sibling influence on Black and White adolescent substance use. Results indicate that siblings explain Black and White adolescent drinking and smoking; however, the effect of siblings is generally more critical to explaining substance use for Black adolescents. Best friends only emerge as a significant predictor of substance use for White adolescents. Methodological and theoretical implications for future research on peer processes are discussed.

Author

• Zachary Rowan, University of Maryland