An Analysis of Rural-Urban Differences in Substance Use Among Young Adolescents

• In Event: Roundtable: Youth, Substance Abuse, and Interventions

Abstract

The United States has witnessed shifts in substance use trends over time; however, limited research has examined these changes across urban and rural areas within a single study. Addressing this gap, this research examines disparities in alcohol, cigarette, and marijuana use among youth across 1976-2019 in rural, urban, and metropolitan areas, and evaluates how these changes may be accounted for by the social bonds and routine activities theoretical framework. Using repeated cross-sectional data from twelfth-grade students participating in the Monitoring the Future (MTF) study, findings underscore the relationship between substance use and variations in youth attachment and commitment to school, community engagement, unstructured social interactions, and to a lesser extent, proclivities towards risky behaviors. Aside from alcohol consumption, cigarette and marijuana use also show a positive association with single households across three areas. Analyzing rural-urban disparities, this study reveals that solitary leisure time predicts lower overall rates of smoking and drinking but heightened marijuana use in urban and metropolitan regions. Conversely, intensive employment commitments are associated with increased usage of all three substances among rural and urban youth. This study demonstrates the dynamics underlying youth substance use between rural and urban areas, offering implications for theoretical frameworks and future research.

Authors

• Rachel Zhang, University at Buffalo, SUNY

• Yunmei Lu, University at Buffalo, SUNY