The Influence of Parental, Peer, and School Factors on Marijuana Use Among Native American Adolescents

ABSTRACT

Marijuana use among Native American (NA) adolescents continues to be an ongoing concern and is often cited as the most critical health issue facing this population. Despite this recognition, few studies have examined the roles played by parental monitoring and school relationships among NA youth. This cross-sectional study used secondary data from the 2010 National Survey in Drug Use and Health to examine the combined influence of parental, peer, and school indicators on marijuana use among NA adolescents aged 12 to 17 years old (N = 287). The results of structural equation modeling suggest that peer factors and parental monitoring were significantly associated with marijuana use. In fact, the peer network was the most influential predictor. However, a significant relationship was not found between school relationships and marijuana use. Given the insignificance of school relationships, further research should examine the influence of peer interactions on marijuana use and the development of family-based prevention and intervention programs.

KEYWORDS:

• Native American adolescents
• marijuana
• peer pressure
• parent relationship
• structural equation model