Do Substance Use and Delinquency have Differential Associations with Adolescents’ Peer Relations?

Abstract

Despite their potentially serious short-and long-term risks, developmental theorists have argued that risk behaviours may play important constructive roles in adolescent development. The present study hypothesised that adolescent substance use, but not delinquency, would be associated with positive peer relations. Subjects were 491 German adolescents participating in the Bielefeld Longitudinal Youth Survey who completed questionnaires during grades 7, 8, 9, and 10. Measures were adolescents' self-reported substance use (alcohol, tobacco), delinquency (antisocial acts), and peer relations (peer involvement frequency, perceived peer group closeness, perceived position in the peer group, having a boy-or girlfriend). Repeated measures analyses of variance examined gender and school type differences in risk behaviour and peer relations across four occasions. Within-time, peer relations were positively related to substance use and, in a few cases, positively related to delinquency. As hypothesised, substance use predicted increases in the frequency and intensity of peer relations, but delinquency did not do so consistently. The pattern of results did not differ by gender or school type. The discussion focuses on the meaning of risky behaviours and differences between substance use and delinquency, and argues that prevention efforts must take seriously the positive functions served by risk behaviours.

Peer relationship antecedents of delinquent behavior in late adolescence: Is there evidence of demographic group differences in developmental processes?

“…Correlations among constructs were not found to vary across groups and personcentered analyses failed to find evidence of group differences in developmental processes linking peer relationship experiences and delinquent behavior problems. Thus, findings from the current study add to growing evidence that the developmental relevance of peer experiences generalizes across diverse populations (e.g., Fergusson & Horwood, 1999;Jang & Thornberry, 1998;Maggs & Hurrelmann, 1998). The structural equation model.…”

“…In some past studies, both peer rejection and antisocial peer involvement have been found to be stronger predictors of antisocial behavior among boys than among girls (Coie, Terry, Lenox, Lochman, & Hyman, 1995;Ellickson & McGuigan, 2000;Erickson, Crosnoe, & Dornbusch, 2000). Other studies have found no evidence of gender differences in associations between peer relations and substance use and delinquency (Maggs & Hurrelmann, 1998), or in links between antisocial peer involvement and delinquent behavior (Jang & Thornberry, 1998) and gang membership (Hill, Howell, Hawkins, & Battin-Pearson, 1999). It may be that gender differences in the risk associated with peer relationship experiences are not robust or pervasive, but it also may be that gender differences in exposure to peer relationship risk factors influence associations among constructs.…”

Peer Smoking, Other Peer Attributes, and Adolescent Cigarette Smoking: A Social Network Analysis

“…In those studies, smoking was associated with greater perceived supportiveness, attachment, or closeness to friends (Chassin et al 1986;Krohn et al 1983;Maggs and Hurrelmann 1998) and more frequent interaction with friends (Maggs and Hurrelmann 1998).…”

Gesundheitsverhalten im Kindes- und Jugendalter

“…So wird das Anbieten einer Zigarette oder das Einladen zu alkoholischen Geträn-ken genutzt, um neue Bekanntschaften zu schließen und um bei den Gleichaltrigen an Ansehen zu gewinnen [13,20]. Tatsächlich vergrößern Jugendliche mit einem höheren legalen Substanzkonsum ihren Freundeskreis stärker als andere Jugendliche, sie gewinnen stärker an Ansehen bei den Peers und verstärken ihr Zugehörigkeitsgefühl zur Gruppe der Gleichaltrigen [21]. Ebenso wird die Teilnahme an sportlichen Aktivitäten genutzt, um mit Peers zusammenzusein [8].…”

“…Mehrere Studien zeigten, dass stärkerer Konsum von Alkohol und legalen Drogen die Wahrscheinlichkeit erhöht, im Folgejahr einen Partner zu finden [21,23]. Da solche Substanzen bevorzugt in Diskotheken, Kneipen, auf Partys und an anderen der Partnersuche dienenden Freizeitorten konsumiert werden, bleibt allerdings offen, ob dieser Effekt eher auf dem Aufsuchen der Freizeitorte oder dem Substanzkonsum selbst beruht.…”