Adolescent Employment and Substance Use Peer Networks

• In Event: Expanding Criminological Applications of Social Network Analysis

Abstract

The effects of adolescent employment on substance use and delinquency have been inconsistent. Historically, employment was believed to promote adolescent responsibility and preparation for the future as well as limit unstructured time away from home. When investigated empirically, a body of research emerged that suggested adolescent employment was either detrimental to or had no influence on behavior. One theoretical explanation regarding the adverse consequences of employment includes exposure to older and influential negative peers. The current study explores this theoretical proposition by examining how employed youths’ social and substance using networks differ from unemployed youth using the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health. Implications of the findings for policy, research, and theory will be discussed.

Authors

• Laura Beckman, Arizona State University

• Eryn O'Neal, Arizona State University