Risk and Protective Factors for Youth Alcohol and Marijuana Use: An Ecological Approach

Background: Substance use during adolescence is an important public health issue. The presence of risk and protective factors (i.e., assets and resources) may increase or decrease the likelihood that adolescents will engage in alcohol and marijuana use. To date, most research has focused on single risk and protective factors, without considering how the effects of cumulative risks and cumulative protective factors influence alcohol and marijuana use. The purpose of this study is to examine the association between cumulative risk and protective factors and alcohol and marijuana use in a sample of high school-aged youth.   

Methods: Hierarchical multiple regression was used to examine the association between cumulative risks and protective factors and past 30 day alcohol and marijuana use and to test two models of  resilience (compensatory and risk-protective model) in a sample of  9^th – 12^th grade youth (n= 1863; 49% female; 71% White) from 15 schools in a Midwestern community. Guided by an ecological model, the risk and protective factor measures included individual characteristics (e.g., future expectations) and peer (e.g., connection to peers), parental/familial (e.g., parental monitoring) , school (e.g., connectedness to school, victimization at school), and community (e.g., access to alcohol, neighborhood safety) influences.

Results: Higher cumulative risk was associated with higher levels of alcohol and marijuana use. Higher levels of protective factors were associated with lower levels of alcohol and marijuana use, and moderated the association between cumulative risks and alcohol and marijuana use.

Conclusions: Our results supported the risk-protective model of resilience, and highlighted the importance of protective factors (i.e., resources and assets) in this sample. Prevention programs focused on enhancing assets and resources may have a positive effect on alcohol and marijuana use during adolescence, particularly for youth at higher risk.