Social Norms, Perceived Harm, and Marijuana Use and Its Related Consequences Among American-Indian Adolescents

Introduction. American Indian youth consistently report higher levels of marijuana use compared to other American ethnic and racial groups. Given that the social and legal landscape surrounding marijuana use in the United States is changing, increasing attention is being paid to factors influencing marijuana use and related consequences among adolescents and young adults, including the role of social norms and perceived harm from using marijuana. However, even though research has shown that marijuana is one of the most commonly used substances among American Indians, few studies have examined normative perceptions or perceived harm as it relates to marijuana use and its related consequences in this group.

Methods. The current study examined 2,943 American Indian youth (grades 7-12) across 5 geographic regions (i.e., Northwest, Northern Plains, Upper Great Lakes, Southeast and Texas, Southwest). Using multi-group path analysis, we tested (a) whether there was a direct effect of descriptive and injunctive norms independently predicting marijuana use and its related consequences, and (b) whether the influence of social norms on marijuana-related consequences acted indirectly via perceived harm from using marijuana.

Results. Results indicated that descriptive norms had a direct effect on marijuana use and marijuana-related consequences, whereas there were no direct effects of injunctive norms on use and consequences. Mediation tests revealed an indirect effect from injunctive norms to marijuana use and related consequences via perceived harm. In addition, marijuana use mediated the relationship between perceived harm and marijuana-related consequences.

Discussion. Taken together, our results suggest that descriptive norms have a more direct effect on marijuana use and its related consequences compared to injunctive norms, and that injunctive norms serve to influence marijuana use and its related consequences via perceived harm. Our results also highlight the need for additional research examining regional differences and potential social or cultural factors that may influence normative perceptions, perceived harm, and marijuana related consequences.