NCJ Number
182311
Journal
Journal of Applied Communication Research Volume: 27 Dated: 1999 Pages: 120-138
Date Published
1999
Length
19 pages
Annotation
An anonymous questionnaire study gathered information from 2,166 junior high school students from 31 schools in a large southwestern city regarding the role of adolescents’ personal relationships in scenarios involving drug offers.
Abstract
The participants were part of a larger sample and included all of those in the larger survey who reported ever having been offered a drug. The participants included 1,087 males and 1,054 females. They were 46.1 percent Hispanic Americans, 14.1 percent whites, 7.8 percent blacks, 2.9 percent American Indians, 1.6 percent Chinese Americans, 1.5 percent Japanese Americans, 9.8 percent were of mixed ethnicity, and 16.1 percent who did not report their ethnicity. The questionnaires asked the youths to describe a time when someone had offered them drugs. Results indicated that adolescents most often receive offers of drugs from people with whom they have close relationships; these people include same-sex friends, romantic partners, brothers, and male cousins. In addition, offers from family members and romantic partners were particularly difficult to resist. The most frequent type of offer was a simple offer; however, nonverbal presentation of the drug was the most effective. Students typically resisted by saying no and leaving the situation, but these strategies were not equally effective with all relational partners. The response complexity was a better predictor of resistance than was the offer complexity. Findings suggested ways that future intervention programs can create resistance training that is sensitive to relationship factors. Tables and 52 references