Reconsidering Drug Involvement Among Youth and Young Adults: Implications for Targeted Primary Prevention

• NCJ Number: 110110
• Journal: Journal of Sociology and Social Welfare Volume: 14 Issue: 4 Dated: (December 1987) Pages: 21-46
• Author(s): M W Fraser
• Date Published: 1987
• Length: 19 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

The purpose of this paper is to review two dominant social perspectives on the etiology of substance abuse among youths and young adults -- the state and risk factor outlooks -- and to discuss them in light of recent demographic and ecological research.

Abstract

The differential demography of drug abuse strongly suggests that the environmental context influences the use and abuse of substances. In an era of great public concern about substance abuse, the use of individually focused perspectives appears to have resulted in person-centered skills training programs and 'say no' media campaigns. Consideration of community-level factors in the etiology of drug abuse permits the identification of high-risk schools and neighborhoods, enabling prevention specialists to target specific blocks, census tracts, and similar localities for more comprehensive intervention. 124 references (Publisher abstract)