Self-Reported Negative Consequences of Drug Use among Rural Adolescents

Abstract

This paper focuses on an examination of self-reported negative consequences of drug use based on data collected in 1987 from 3,348 junior and senior high school students in rural central and southern Illinois. Nine items relating to negative consequences were examined: interference with school work, school absence, hurt friendship, accident or injury, family trouble, law trouble, school authority trouble, lowered self-satisfaction, and fights. Data indicated that between 4 percent and 14 percent of the sample reported negative consequences. All nine items differed significantly by grade level with older students reporting higher frequencies of negative consequences than younger students. The sharpest increase in reports of negative consequences occurred between the 8th and 9th grade: only 9.7 percent of the 8th grade sample reported trouble with family due to drugs while 18.2 percent of the 9th grade sample did so. Only three of the nine items showed significant differences between males and females on such items as fighting, trouble with the law, and trouble with school authorities. Concluding the paper is a discussion of implications for planning curricular content for drug education programs, school policy, and future research.