This study uses an integrative model of behavioral prediction as an account of adolescents' intention to use marijuana regularly. Adolescents' risk for using marijuana regularly is examined to test the theoretical assumption that distal variables affect intention indirectly. Risk affects intention indirectly if low-risk and high-risk adolescents differ on the strength with which beliefs about marijuana are held, or if they differ on the relative importance of predictors of intention. A model test confirmed that the effect of risk on intention is primarily indirect. Adolescents at low and high risk particularly differed in beliefs concerning social costs and costs to self-esteem. Not surprisingly, at-risk adolescents took a far more positive stand toward using marijuana regularly than did low-risk adolescents. On a practical level, the integrative model proved to be an effective tool for predicting intention to use marijuana, identifying key variables for interventions, and discriminating between target populations in terms of determinants of marijuana use.Over the last four decades, a relatively large number of theories have been used to explain and predict a wide variety of behaviors. From the perspective that each behavior is unique, it is understandable that separate theories have been derived to account for a specific behavior or behavioral category. Recently, however, it has been proposed that only a limited number
The integrative model of behavior prediction and priming theory were used to evaluate the effects of anti-marijuana advertisements in an experimental context. In 1 original study and 2 replications, 435 adolescents were randomly assigned to condition, and those in the experimental condition viewed 3 ads that challenged undesirable normative beliefs about marijuana use. The results showed that ad exposure had small but positive (anti-drug) effects on adolescents' considerations of the outcomes of using marijuana and their perceptions of the social normative climate surrounding marijuana use. Priming effects also were observed but generally ran counter to predictions. Implications of the findings for anti-drug campaigns are discussed. Potential explanations for the unexpected priming effects also are offered.
This paper uses an integrated model of behavior change to predict intentions to use marijuana occasionally and regularly in a US-based national sample of male and female 12 to 18 year olds (n ¼ 600). The model combines key constructs from the theory of reasoned action and social cognitive theory. The survey was conducted on laptop computers, and half of the sample was female. The analysis serves as a basis for discussion about using theory in various stages of planning a campaign to decrease marijuana use among adolescents. The theory, model fit, and tests of the mediation and sufficiency assumptions can be used to demarcate planners' choices about behavioral goals and intervention messages.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.