Interpersonal Influences on Male Drug Use and Drug Use Intentions

Abstract

The relationship between (1) the respondent's perception of the drug behavior of his father, mother, siblings, current friends, and wife/female partner; and (2) past drug use and future drug use intentions for tobacco, alcohol, marijuana, psychedelics, stimulants, sedatives, heroin, other opiates, and cocaine is examined among a representative sample of men in the U.S. population who were 20-30 years old in 1974 (N= 2,510). For each drug the results indicated that current friends’ and wife/partner's drug behaviors are the factors most strongly associated with the respondent's past drug use as well as his intentions of future drug use. Although substantially less important, siblings’ drug behavior also appears to be a source of influence, while the drug behavior of mothers and fathers is only minimally associated with drug use and future intentions.