NCJ Number
169981
Date Published
1984
Length
6 pages
Annotation
This study of junior high school students in the Los Angeles area found the intention to use drugs in the future was associated with current drug use behavior.
Abstract
Study participants included students in the 7th through 9th grades in 11 schools in the greater metropolitan area of Los Angeles. Of 1,634 students providing usable responses, 35.6 percent were male and 64.4 percent were female. White students comprised 56.4 percent of the sample, with Spanish, Black, and Asian students comprising 14.8 percent, 23.6 percent, and 5.2 percent of the sample, respectively. Each participant completed a questionnaire about the number of times a particular substance had been used. Frequency of use data were collected for cigarettes, beer, wine, liquor, cocaine, tranquilizers, drug store medications used to get high, heroin and other opiates, marijuana, hashish, inhalants, hallucinogens, and amphetamines. Participants also completed questionnaires about their intention to use drugs in the future. Results showed future intent to use drugs was associated with current drug use behavior. The association between behavior and cognitive plans, while statistically significant, was not of a magnitude large enough to indicate intentions were entirely synonymous with current drug use. Only about 20 percent of the variance in future intentions could be explained by current drug use. Further research is recommended to determine what additional sources serve to determine drug use choices. 7 references and 3 tables