Subtypes of Bullying and Types of Substance Use among Urban African American Adolescents: Who Is Likely to Use What?

ABSTRACT

The present study examined the types of drugs likely to be used by bullies, victims, and bully/victims. Participants comprise African American adolescents from three high schools, one youth church group, two community youth programs, and four public venues in low-income communities in Chicago’s Southside. A series of logistic regression analyses and latent class analyses were employed. Victims are likely to use alcohol, marijuana, and lean/krokodil. Bullies were likely to use alcohol and marijuana. Bully/victims were not at risk of any of the substances. Our LCA findings revealed a lower occurrence of substance use among victims although 30% used alcohol and marijuana; more than half of bullies showed high levels of alcohol, marijuana, and lean/krokodil use; a diverse pattern of drug use was shown among bully/victims although their lean/krokodil and crack/cocaine use was higher than other subgroups of bullying. The drugs of choice for African American bullies, victims, or bully/victims are variable.

KEYWORDS:

• Adolescents
• African American
• bullying
• urban
• victimization
• violence

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This study was funded by the Center for Health Administration Studies and the STI/HIV Intervention Network at the University of Chicago, which were awarded to Dr. Dexter R. Voisin.