NCJ Number
180731
Journal
Journal of Drug Education Volume: 29 Issue: 3 Dated: 1999 Pages: 279-291
Date Published
1999
Length
13 pages
Annotation
This article reports on a study designed to determine the prevalence and type of substance use in inter-city and rural 8- to 12-year-old children, as well as the relationships between child substance use, self-esteem, peer substance use, and family climate.
Abstract
The conceptual framework for the study was a modification of Kumpfer and Turner's Social Ecology Model (1991). This model states that a child's family environment, school environment, and peer influences predict the self-esteem of the child, which in turn predicts the child's use of drugs. Modifying the model to include a systems framework reframes the model into an interactive model. The interactive model demonstrates an interaction between the factors that explain the drug use of the child. Data were collected at a rural school in Kentucky and at an inter-city summer day camp program in Indiana. Study participants (n=79) completed a five-part, self-answer questionnaire in a multiple-choice format. Nineteen percent of the children had used alcohol or drugs. Thirty-three percent of the children acknowledged having friends who used substances. Inter-city children reported more alcohol and marijuana use, and the rural children reported more use of inhalants. The responses of both inter-city and rural children also indicated that there were problems with substance use and family violence in the home. Self-esteem and affiliation with drug-using peers were significantly correlated with substance use by the child. 2 tables, 6 figures, and 30 references