NCJ Number
112237
Date Published
1988
Length
254 pages
Annotation
Using data from an ongoing longitudinal study of adolescents and young adults, this book describes the nature and extent of drug use in school and in the workplace.
Abstract
Begun in 1976 with a community sample of 1,634 California students in grades 7, 8, and 9, the study retested the sample at years 2, 4, 5, and 9. The final sample consisted of 739 subjects. Results indicate that 31 percent had used a psychoactive substance at school or work. Alcohol and cannabis were the most frequently used substances in these contexts, and men were more likely than women to use these substances. Highest rates of disruptive use were for those in junior college and full- or part-time jobs, lower rates were found for those in a university and in the military (except alcohol use). The incidence of polydrug use in school and work was high. Those most likely to engage in disruptive drug use were male, had few educational plans, had cohabited, had no children, and were not married. General and disruptive drug use were highly associated. Disruptive drug use was associated with job instability, committing vandalism at work, and, to a lesser extent, job dissatisfaction. Disruptive drug use generally was not related to life problems or general unhappiness, but was associated with nonconformity, low fearfulness, feelings of powerlessness, difficulty in intimate relationships, and acknowledged drug and alcohol problems. It also was related to all types of deviant and criminal behaviors and attitudes. On the basis of findings, risk factor indices of drug use in school and the workplace were developed. Chapter tables, index, and approximately 300 references.