Suchergebnisse

There is an abundance of research on the association between substance use and delinquency. However, an area yet to be examined is the association between nonmedical prescription drug use and delinquency. This is important given the substantial increase in nonmedical prescription drug use in recent years and the fact that recent national surveys of substance use show that the prevalence of nonmedical prescription drug use is now greater than that of illicit drugs other than marijuana. Using data from a national sample, this research examines the association between nonmedical prescription drug use and delinquency among adolescents. Findings indicate that nonmedical prescription drug use is significantly associated with self-reported delinquency and arrest. However, the use of other illicit drugs is more strongly associated with self-reported delinquency and arrest than nonmedical prescription drug use.

Gottfredson and Hirschi's self-control theory has generated considerable academic interest and become one of the most influential theories of the past 20 years. The current study seeks to confirm and extend this line of research by examining the generality of self-control across several forms of substance use: binge drinking, marijuana use, prescription drug misuse, and other illicit drug use. Data were collected from a sample of more than 1,000 undergraduate students attending a public university in the United States. Findings indicate that students with low self-control were at greater risk for reporting binge drinking, marijuana use, and prescription drug misuse. Further analysis indicates that the influence of self-control on substance use is moderated by opportunity and peer influence. That is, self-control was significantly correlated to binge drinking and marijuana use when students reported greater opportunity to use and also when they reported substance use by their friends.

A large portion of the U.S. population is justice-involved, an important at-risk population with poor physical/mental health outcomes and increased rates of substance use. Using the 2018 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, the current study assesses marijuana use across level of community-based justice involvement (i.e., arrest, probation, and parole) among adults. Given increasing rates of marijuana use and a relative lack of research, the current study addresses an important gap in the literature. Findings from logistic regression analysis show that adults who had been arrested or were on probation were more likely to use marijuana compared to adults with no justice involvement, while adults on parole were less likely to use marijuana than those on probation. This study offers evidence of differences in marijuana use across level of justice involvement, which may be attributable to other substance use behaviors, and has important implications for criminal justice practice.

The literature has shown that undergraduates engage in the misuse of prescription stimulants in large part to meet academic demands and as an attempt to alleviate academic stress. The current study examined the relationship between misusing prescription stimulants for academic purposes and academic strains (academic stress, grade strain, and academic impediments) to determine whether prescription stimulant misuse (PSM) and the types of academic strains experienced by undergraduates differed based on their college major and postgraduate education plans. We utilized survey data that had been collected from 924 students at a large southeastern university in 2014, which specifically assessed for PSM. Results indicated significant differences in the misuse of prescription stimulants based on the types of academic strains experienced, college major, and postgraduate education plans. Implications and suggestions for future research are discussed.