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Relationship Of Family Structure To Adolescent Drug Use, Peer Affiliation, And Perception Of Peer Acceptance Of Drug Use, Jeanne Jenkins, Sabina Zunguze

Jeanne E. Jenkins

The sample consisted of 2,229 high school students who were administered a self-report instrument containing items measuring drug use and psychosocial variables. Dependent variables included frequency of use of five gateway drugs [cigarettes, marijuana, beer, wine coolers, and liquor], degree of affiliation with drug- using peers, and perceptions of peer acceptance of drugs. Comparison groups included single-parent [both mother- and father-headed], step-parent, and intact families. Analysis conducted separately by grade level revealed significant differences between groups on drug use variables in grades 8 and 10, with adolescents from intact families reporting less frequent drug use, fewer drug-using friends, and perceptions …