NCJ Number
233804
Journal
Journal of Drug Education Volume: 40 Issue: 4 Dated: 2010 Pages: 315-330
Date Published
2010
Length
16 pages
Annotation
This study reported the results of formative research exploring views of users and non-users of marijuana as potential mechanisms for marijuana prevention campaign effects.
Abstract
The authors report on researchboth quantitative and qualitativeconducted to explore perceptions of prototypes of marijuana users, as well as the extent to which self-prototype congruence predicted marijuana use intention. Results of a survey of undergraduates (N = 139) showed that prototypes of users and non-users differed in terms of key attributes, and that a greater match between one's self and user prototype would be associated with greater intention to use marijuana. In addition, exploratory analysis showed that males had higher ratings of user prototype social attractiveness compared to females overall, with the most pronounced differences between non-White males and non-White females. To probe these findings, two focus groups consisting of African-American males and females (N = 12) were conducted. Results indicated that social attractiveness of users was a common theme among males but not females. Implications for prevention programs and future research are discussed. (Published Abstract) Table and references