Peer Leaders and Substance Use Among High-Risk Adolescents

Abstract

Objective: To examine the association between individual drug use and peer leaders use. Method: Analysis of drug use behaviors of 525 students randomized into three arms—control, standard, and networked where peers serve as group leaders. Results: Among the combined male and female group, there was no association between peer leader and individual use. Among males, peer leader use at baseline was positively associated with individual alcohol use at post-test. Among females, peer leader use at post-test was negatively associated with marijuana and cigarette use. Conclusion: Having peer leaders in the network condition decreased the odds of marijuana and cigarette use among females. The opposite effect was found in males.

Keywords :

• peer leaders
• substance use
• peer influence
• high risk
• adolescents
• peer culture

THE AUTHORS

Patchareeya P. Kwan, Ph.D., MPH, CHES, is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Health Sciences at California State University Northridge. She received her doctoral degree from the University of Southern California's Keck School of Medicine and has served as an adjunct faculty at Claremont Graduate University's School of Community and Global Health. Kwan's research interest includes health disparities, social networks, adolescent health, and community-based approaches in disease prevention and health promotion. She believes in using social networks and positive social influence as a vehicle for promoting health behavior changes, especially among adolescents and minority populations.

Steve Sussman, Ph.D., FAAHB, FAPA, received his doctorate in social-clinical psychology from the University of Illinois at Chicago in 1984. He is a Professor of Preventive Medicine, Psychology, and Social Work at the University of Southern California (USC), and he has been at USC for 30 years. He studies etiology, prevention, and cessation within the addictions arena, broadly defined. He has over 447 publications. His programs include Project Towards No Tobacco Use, Project Towards No Drug Abuse, and Project EX, which are considered model programs at numerous agencies (i.e., CDC, NIDA, NCI, OJJDP, SAMSHA, CSAP, Colorado and Maryland Blueprints, Health Canada, U.S. DOE, and various State Departments of Education). He received the honor of Research Laureate for the American Academy of Health Behavior in 2005, and he was President there (2007–2008). Also, as of 2007, he received the honor of Fellow of the American Psychological Association (Division 50, Addictions). He was one of the contributing editors of the recently published Surgeon General's Report on “Preventing Tobacco Use Among Youth and Young Adults.” Also, he is the current Editor of Evaluation & the Health Professions (SAGE Publications).

Thomas W. Valente, Ph.D., is a Professor in the Department of Preventive Medicine, Institute for Prevention Research, Keck School of Medicine, at the University of Southern California. He is author of Social Networks and Health: Models, Methods, and Applications (2010, Oxford University Press); Evaluating Health Promotion Programs (2002, Oxford University Press); Network Models of the Diffusion of Innovations (1995, Hampton Press); and over 125 articles and chapters on social networks, behavior change, and program evaluation. Valente uses social network analysis, health communication, and mathematical models to implement and evaluate health promotion programs designed to prevent tobacco and substance abuse, unintended fertility, and STD/HIV infections. He is also engaged in mapping community coalitions and collaborations to improve health care delivery and reduce healthcare disparities. He is well known for his pioneering work on network interventions. Valente is on the editorial boards of Social Networks; Network Science; and the Journal of Health Communication. Valente received the Everett M Rogers Public Health Communication Award from the Public Health Education and Health Promotion (PHEHP) Section of the American Public Health Association; and the USC Melon mentoring award in 2013. Valente received his BS in Mathematics from the University of Mary Washington, his MS in Mass Communication from San Diego State University, and his Ph.D. from the Annenberg School for Communication at USC. In 2008, he was a visiting senior scientist at NIH (NHGRI) for 6 months; and in 2010–2011 he was a visiting Professor at the École des Haute Études en Santé Publique (Paris/Rennes).

GLOSSARY

• Adolescents: individuals normally between the ages of 13–18 but can range up to 21 years old

• High risk: having a high level of risk for certain behaviors; in drug abuse, high risk refers to being at high risk for taking or abusing drugs. This is usually based on the proportion of people within the social circle who are abusing drugs themselves. A person who is at high risk for abusing drugs is usually in a group or community where drug use is high.

• Peer culture: beliefs, attitudes, values, or other norms shared by individuals of the same peer group or community

• Peer influence: influence by peers of the same age; mostly on knowledge, attitudes, behavioral norms, and values

• Peer leaders: same age or slightly older peers who serve as leaders

• Substance use: use of drugs or other types of licit or illicit substances