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起着核心作用，已被确定为众多研究中大麻使用的关键相关因素，并且是大多数青少年药物预防计划的主要焦点。然而，对同龄人和物质使用的研究的局限性排除了对同龄人关系作为青少年大麻使用的一个促成因素的作用得出强有力的结论。该项目将使用创新的社会网络方法，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。“添加健康”是有史以来对青少年友谊网络进行的最大规模的研究，也是唯一一个具有全国代表性样本的研究。超过90，000名青少年（7-12年级）完成了基线校内问卷调查。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，将网络分析应用于研究青少年大麻使用的同伴影响和选择效应。使用Add Health数据来检查大麻使用的社会背景具有明显的优势，包括：对青少年及其同龄人使用大麻的独立评估;大型，多样化和具有全国代表性的样本;具有良好保留的纵向设计;以及Waves I和II的高参与率，从而对基于学校的友谊网络进行了全面评估。本项目将解决以下目标：目标1：确定在何种程度上友谊网络影响大麻的使用（影响效应）和大麻的使用影响友谊选择（选择效应）使用纵向友谊数据;并评估长期的影响，随着时间的推移对大麻的使用同伴的影响。标准的组识别方法（NEGOPY）和新的p* 方法的比较将证明后一种观点，它认为这些同龄人群体的积木，（而不是极端的“最好的朋友”或整个友谊块），提供了一个不同的，更复杂的理解与社会影响和选择的机制，与干预方法的影响。 目的2：研究不同类型的同伴如何影响（即，最好的朋友、浪漫的伴侣、亲密的朋友、偶然的朋友、朋友的朋友、整个学校）与大麻使用同时地和前瞻性地相关联，并且探索这些关联是否由关键网络结构特征（即，尺寸、密度）。 目标3：为了确定青少年谁是更有弹性与易受不同类型的亲药物使用的同龄人的影响（从目标1和2），侧重于四个领域的特点：个人因素;学校因素;家庭因素;和邻里因素。 公共卫生相关性：该项目将使用纵向数据添加健康，有史以来最大的青少年友谊网络进行的研究和唯一的一个具有全国代表性的样本，研究同伴的影响和同伴选择对青少年使用大麻使用多种，互补的分析方法。该项目还将调查不同类型的同龄人影响如何随着时间的推移与大麻的使用相关，并确定青年谁更有弹性，而不是容易受到不同类型的亲毒品同龄人的影响。

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.