Perceived marijuana norms and social expectancies among entering college student marijuana users.

Abstract

This research examined the relationships among perceived social norms, social outcome expectancies, and marijuana use and related consequences among entering college freshman marijuana users. Students (N = 312, 55% female) completed online assessments of their marijuana use, related consequences, perceived norms, and social expectancies related to marijuana use. Results suggested that perceptions of friends' marijuana use were most strongly associated with marijuana use (d = 0.68), in comparison with perceived injunctive norms (d = 0.30) or expectancies (d = 0.19), and that the perception that other students used marijuana more frequently was more strongly associated with use among students who also perceived other students as more approving of marijuana. In addition, the relationships between perceived descriptive and injunctive norms and marijuana use were stronger among students who reported more positive social marijuana expectancies. Descriptive norms and expectancies were both positively associated with marijuana-related consequences, but, at high levels of both of these variables, injunctive norms were negatively associated with consequences. Results highlight the importance of distinguishing between descriptive and injunctive norms and between marijuana use and related consequences.

Normative Perceptions of Cannabis Use Among European University Students: Associations of Perceived Peer Use and Peer Attitudes With Personal Use and Attitudes

“…Perceptions of peer normative behaviors and attitudes have been associated with heavier cannabis use in North American students (e.g., Neighbors et al, 2008); however, few studies have investigated this relationship in European samples. The current study investigated whether European students perceive that their peers use cannabis more frequently and have more permissive attitudes toward cannabis use than themselves, and whether normative perceptions that the majority of peers use cannabis and approve of use are associated with personal consumption and more positive attitudes toward use.…”

“…There is also evidence that students overestimate peer injunctive norms, perceiving that their peers are more approving of cannabis use than themselves (LaBrie et al, 2010), with such injunctive norm perceptions associated with increased usage among U.S. cannabis-using students (Neighbors et al, 2008). Students' own personal cannabis approval is strongly influenced by perceived injunctive norms of typical students, close friends, and parents, with personal approval then being a significant predictor of personal cannabis use (LaBrie et al, 2010).…”

“…In terms of cannabis use, there is evidence that perceived peer norms are predictive of personal cannabis use (e.g., Lewis & Clemens, 2008;Neighbors et al, 2008) and that students' perceptions that cannabis use is a normative behavior on campus are associated with an increased risk of use (Page & Scanlan, 2000). A number of studies have reported that university students tend to overestimate their peers' cannabis use (Arbour-Nicitopoulos et al, 2010;Bertholet et al, 2013;Franca et al, 2010;Kilmer et al, 2006;LaBrie et al, 2009;Martens et al, 2006;Page & Roland, 2004;Perkins et al, 1999), with such overestimations associated with increased personal cannabis consumption among U.S. students (Buckner, 2013;LaBrie et al, 2009).…”

Perceived Importance of Marijuana to the College Experience Scale (PIMCES): Initial Development and Validation

“…Whereas descriptive norms reflect beliefs about the behavior of others, injunctive norms reflect beliefs about the degree to which others approve/disapprove of a particular behavior (Baer et al, 1991;Cialdini et al, 1991;Larimer et al, 2004). Research shows that both descriptive and injunctive norms independently predict alcohol outcomes (Borsari & Carey, 2003;Neighbors et al, 2007) and other substance use (e.g., stimulants; Silvestri & Correia, 2016), including marijuana use (Connor & McMillan, 2010;Napper et al, 2016;Neighbors et al, 2008).…”

Contextual factors associated with marijuana use in school population

“…That is, at a higher perception that friends use marijuana and that they also would approve its use, it leads to a higher frequency of use among adolescents (Pedersen, Miles, Ewing, Shih, Tucker & D'Amico, 2013;Trujillo, Martínez-González & Vargas, 2013;Burdzovic, Pape & Bretteville-Jensen, 2016). Moreover, if teenagers expect that marijuana use will help them to improve socially or academically, this may lead to abuse or dependency (Neighbors, Geisner & Lee, 2008;Walker, Neighbors, Rodriguez, Stephens & Roffman, 2011).…”