The Normative Environment for Drug Use: Comparisons among American Indian and White Adolescents

Abstract

The current study examined the influence of descriptive norms, injunctive norms, perceived outcome expectancies, and ethnicity on marijuana and inhalant use among 2334 American Indian (AI) and White high school students who lived on or near reservations in the United States. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses were conducted with survey data collected during the 2009–2010 and 2010–2011 school years. Results suggest differences between ethnicities in the influence of the normative environment and outcome expectancies on both marijuana and inhalant use. Study limitations are noted, and future research is suggested.

KEYWORDS:

• norms
• outcome expectancies
• adolescents
• substance use

Notes

Note. Correlations for white adolescent are above the diagonal. Correlations for American Indian adolescents are below the diagonal. *p < .05; **p < .001.

Note. Separate models were run for each of the normative mechanism. A = model including outcome expectancies; B = model including student injunctive norms; C = model including adult injunctive norms. Parameter estimates are provided for each predictor at the step that they were first entered. Models also included dummy coded school variables to control for nesting within schools.

*p < .05; **p < .001.

Note. Separate models were run for each of the normative mechanism. A = model including outcome expectancies; B = model including student injunctive norms; C = model including adult injunctive norms. Parameter estimates are provided for each predictor at the step that they were first entered. Models also included dummy coded school variables to control for nesting within schools.

*p < .05; **p < .001.