Social integration in friendship networks: The synergy of network structure and peer influence in relation to cigarette smoking among high risk adolescents

Abstract

Using data from a study of high risk adolescents in Southern California, U.S.A. (N = 851), this study examined synergy between social network measures of social integration and peer influence in relation to past month cigarette smoking. Using Hierarchical Linear Modeling, results indicated that being central in networks was significantly and positively related to past month cigarette smoking, across all study models. In addition, there is modest evidence that the number of reciprocated friendship ties was positively related to past month cigarette smoking. There is also some modest evidence that the relationship between having reciprocated friendships and past month cigarette smoking was moderated by a network peer influence process, smoking with those in youths’ best friend networks. Findings indicate that being integrated within a social network context of peer influences favoring drug use relates to more smoking among these high risk youth.

Predictors of Substance Use Among Young Adults Transitioning Away from High School: A Narrative Review

“…Substance use in high school does not, however, explain the underlying mechanisms for the substantial increases in use that are observed during the transition period. A number of studies examined sociocultural constructs as predictors (e.g., peer influence/norms), but did not explore different dimensions of social context, e.g., influential social networks and protective social capital, that can have an important impact on substance use behaviors as they change over time (Hall & Valente, 2007;Lakon & Valente, 2012). These are important areas for future longitudinal research to inform the development of new preventive interventions for this age group.…”

Parent, peer, and executive function relationships to early adolescent e-cigarette use: A substance use pathway?

“…Parents influence adolescent drug use through modeling their own use as well as having substances available in the home, e.g., alcohol (Liao et al, 2013). At the same time, in attempting to establish autonomy from parents, adolescents become more vulnerable to peer influences in the form of pressure to try something new as well as representing an increasing social norm for use (Lakon & Valente, 2012; Liao et al, 2013). Third, early adolescence is marked by rapid changes in the brain, with increased synaptic pruning and neuronal myelination which enable more efficient neural signaling and pre-frontal cortical control (Reyna & Farley, 2006).…”

Network Structure Moderates Intergroup Differentiation of Stereotyped Rumors

“…Similar reasoning has been used to explain the persistence of cigarette smoking among adolescents embedded in densely connected pro-substance-abuse attitude clusters (Lakon & Valente, 2012), or more generally, the spread of complex contagions where the multiple contacts afforded by dense clusters are required to trigger adoption of an attribute (Centola & Macy, 2007).…”