The Role of Peer Networks in Youth Drug Use

描述(由申请人提供)：同伴影响在青少年问题行为理论中发挥着核心作用，已被许多研究确定为与大麻使用有关的关键因素，也是大多数青少年药物预防计划的主要重点。然而，关于同伴和物质使用的研究的局限性，阻碍了得出同伴关系作为青少年使用大麻的促成因素的作用的有力结论。该项目将使用创新的社交网络方法，通过分析来自国家青少年健康纵向研究(Add Health)的纵向友谊网络数据来解决这些限制。Add Health是有史以来对青少年友谊网络进行的最大规模的研究，也是唯一一项具有全国代表性的样本。90000多名青少年(7-12年级)完成了基线在校调查问卷。这些青少年中有20,000多人完成了更详细的基线家庭访谈，14,000多人参加了12年期间的三次后续访谈。友谊提名是在基线和一年后收集的，这为我们提供了一个难得的机会，可以应用网络分析来审查同伴对青少年大麻使用的影响和选择效果。使用Add Health Data检查大麻使用的社会背景有明显的优势，包括：对青少年及其同龄人使用大麻的独立评估；大量、多样化和具有全国代表性的样本；具有良好保持性的纵向设计；第一和第二波的高参与率，从而对学校友谊网络进行彻底评估。该项目将针对以下目标：目标1：利用纵向友谊数据，确定友谊网络对大麻使用的影响程度(影响效果)，以及大麻使用对友谊选择(选择效果)的影响程度；并评估随着时间的推移，同伴影响对大麻使用的长期影响。标准群体识别方法(NEGOPY)和新的p*方法的比较将证明，后者考虑了这些同龄人群体的组成部分(而不是最好的朋友或整个友谊块的极端)，是否对与社会影响和选择相关的机制提供了不同的、更复杂的理解，并对干预方法产生了影响。目的2：调查不同类型的同伴影响(即最好的朋友、恋人、密友、普通朋友、朋友的朋友、整个学校)如何同时和前瞻性地与大麻使用有关，并探索这些联系是否受关键的网络结构特征(即大小、密度)的调节。目的3：从个人因素、学校因素、家庭因素和邻里因素四个方面分析青少年在不同类型的吸毒者同伴影响(来自目标1和目标2)中更具弹性和更易受影响的特点。 公共卫生相关性：该项目将使用Add Health的纵向数据，这是有史以来对青少年友谊网络进行的最大规模的研究，也是唯一一项具有全国代表性的样本，使用多种互补的分析方法来检查同伴影响和同伴选择对青少年大麻使用的影响。该项目还将调查不同类型的同伴影响如何随着时间的推移与大麻的使用有关，以及确定哪些年轻人更具弹性，而不是更容易受到不同类型的亲毒品同伴影响。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Peer influence plays a central role in theories of adolescent problem behavior, has been identified as a key correlate of marijuana use across numerous studies, and is a primary focus of most adolescent drug prevention programs. However, limitations in the research on peers and substance use preclude drawing strong conclusions about the role of peer relationships as a contributing factor to youth marijuana use. This project will use innovative social network methods to address these limitations through the analysis of longitudinal friendship network data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health). Add Health is the largest study of adolescent friendship networks ever conducted, as well as the only one with a nationally representative sample. Over 90,000 adolescents (Grades 7-12) completed a baseline in-school questionnaire. Over 20,000 of these adolescents completed a more detailed baseline in-home interview and more than 14,000 participated in three follow-up interviews over a 12-year period. Friendship nominations were collected at both baseline and one year later, providing us with a rare opportunity to apply network analysis to the examination of peer influence and selection effects on youth marijuana use. Using Add Health data to examine the social context of marijuana use has distinct advantages, including: independent assessments of marijuana use by adolescents and their peers; a large, diverse, and nationally representative sample; a longitudinal design with excellent retention; and high participation rates at Waves I and II, resulting in a thorough assessment of school-based friendship networks. This project will address the following aims: Aim 1: To determine the extent to which friendship networks influence marijuana use (influence effects) and marijuana use influences friendship selection (selection effects) using longitudinal friendship data; and to evaluate the long-term impact of peer influences on marijuana use over time. A comparison of the standard group identification method (NEGOPY) and the novel p* method will demonstrate whether the latter perspective, which considers the building blocks of these peer groups, (rather than the extremes of "best friend" or the entire friendship block), provides a different, more sophisticated understanding of the mechanisms associated with social influence and selection, with implications for intervention approaches. Aim 2: To investigate how different types of peer influence (i.e., best friend, romantic partner, close friends, casual friends, friends of friends, entire school) are concurrently and prospectively associated with marijuana use, and to explore whether these associations are moderated by key network structure characteristics (i.e., size, density). Aim 3: To identify adolescents who are more resilient versus vulnerable to different types of pro-drug use peer influences (from Aims 1 and 2), focusing on characteristics from four domains: personal factors; school factors; family factors; and neighborhood factors. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: This project will use longitudinal data from Add Health, the largest study of adolescent friendship networks ever conducted and the only one with a nationally representative sample, to examine peer influence and peer selection effects on youth marijuana use using multiple, complementary analytic approaches. The project will also investigate how different types of peer influence are associated with marijuana use over time, as well as identify youth who are more resilient versus vulnerable to different types of pro-drug peer influences.