The association of family and peer factors with tobacco, alcohol, and marijuana use among Chilean adolescents in neighborhood context

Abstract

Research on adolescent use of substances has long sought to understand the family factors that may be associated with use of different substances such as alcohol, tobacco, and marijuana. However, scant attention has been focused on these questions in Latin American contexts, despite growing concerns about substance use among Latin American youth. Using data from a sample of 866 Chilean youth, we examined the relationship of family and neighborhood factors with youth substance abuse. We found that in a Latin American context, access to substances is an important predictor of use, but that neighborhood effects differ for marijuana use as opposed to cigarettes or alcohol. Age of youth, family and peer relationships, and gender all play significant roles in substance use. The study findings provide additional evidence that the use of substances is complex, whereby individual, family, and community influences must be considered jointly to prevent or reduce substance use among adolescents.

Keywords:

• substance use
• adolescence
• international
• peers

Acknowledgments

We extend a sincere appreciation to the families in Chile for their participation in this study, without whom this project could not have been possible. This study received support from the US National Institute on Drug Abuse (R01 DA021181) and the Vivian A and James L Curtis School of Social Work Research and Training Center.

Disclosure

The authors report no conflicts of interest in this work.