On Processes of Peer Influences in Adolescent Drug Use: A Developmental Perspective

Abstract

Peers have been identified as one of the most important factors in the use of legal and illegal drugs by adolescents. The important role of the peer group in the use of illicit drugs is observed at a further stage in the life span. Relational dyadic and triadic samples of adolescents matched to a parent and/or a best friend and observed at one point in time as well as over time provide important and relatively rare sources of data on processes of interpersonal influence. The important role of illicit drugs in adolescent friendships is illustrated further by data on the proportion of focal adolescents who report having ever used marijuana as a function of the degree of self-reported life-time marijuana experience of the nominated best- school-friend. According to one interpretation, adolescent involvement in illicit drugs results exclusively from peer influences: participation in a drug subculture and association with other drug using peers.