Differential Association, Unstructured Socializing, and Adolescent Substance Use

• In Event: Poster Session 1

Abstract

Existing literature has well-established the impact of deviant peer association on adolescent substance use. However, there is limited understanding of how the extent of this influence depends on the context in which deviant peer association occurs, such as unstructured socializing. Addressing this research gap, the present study integrates routine activity theory into differential association theory to examine how unstructured socializing conditions the impact of association with substance-using peers on adolescent substance use. Additionally, the study explores how the moderating effect of unstructured socializing varies between younger and older adolescents. Using data from the 2019 Florida Youth Substance Abuse Survey (FYSAS), multivariate linear regression models were estimated. The findings indicate that increased time spent in unstructured socializing with friends reinforces peer influence on adolescent substance use. Furthermore, younger adolescents (ages 10 to 15) are more vulnerable to peer influence in an unstructured socializing context than older adolescents (ages 16 to 19).

Author

• Bomi Jin, University of Florida