Session: Emerging Issues in Substance Use Among Youth: Making a Case for Examining Use at the National, State, and Local Levels (Society for Prevention Research 23rd Annual Meeting)

Adolescence is a developmental period in which several risk behaviors, including substance use, may begin to emerge and have important consequences in adulthood. National data indicate that considerable proportions of adolescents are using alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs. Studies indicate that use of these substances increases an individual’s risk for a range of serious health and behavioral problems. There are a number of emerging issues in the field of substance use requiring the attention of prevention science researchers including the implications of marijuana legalization, lack of regulation of tobacco outlets, and its association with teen dating violence. The primary goals of this panel are to examine contextual influences on substance use among adolescents and emerging adults, address the challenges substance use may have on promoting healthy relationships, and discuss intervening at multiple levels of influence (i.e., neighborhood, school).

The first presentation focuses on the level of variation in marijuana use across schools and neighborhoods using data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health. Cross-classified multi-level logistic regression models were used to examine the relative influence of households with female head of household and owner-occupied housing. The second presentation looks as the mediating mechanisms that explain the relationship between tobacco outlet exposure and tobacco use are among emerging adults. Findings have implications for policies aimed at reducing tobacco outlet density in residential areas in order to reduce tobacco use in this population.  Finally, the third presentation shifts the focus to what can occur when adolescents use substances. This paper used latent class analysis to identify subtypes of substance use among adolescents and examines the association between subtype and teen dating violence victimization. Adolescents who experienced physical and psychological victimization, as compared to those who did not, were more likely to report poly-substance use.  Together, these presentations add to the growing body of research documenting the continued concern surrounding substance use among adolescents and emerging adults, while also highlighting the various avenues for intervention. At the conclusion of the presentations, the discussant will identify common themes and discuss strategies that can be used to prevent substance use. Additional suggestions for improving community and school policies and interventions for adolescents and emerging adults will be identified.