Binge drinking, marijuana use, and friendships: the relationship between similar and dissimilar usage and friendship quality

Associations between emotional reactivity to stress and adolescent substance use: Differences by sex and valence

Although stress is often related to substance use, it remains unclear whether substance use is related to individual differences in how adolescents respond to stress. Therefore the present study examined associations between substance use and daily emotional reactivity to stress within a year across adolescence. Adolescents (N = 330; Mage = 16.40, SD = 0.74 at study entry; n = 186 female; n = 138 Latine; n = 101 European American; n = 72 Asian American; n = 19 identifying as another ethnicity including African American and Middle Eastern) completed a longitudinal study, including three assessments between the 10th grade and 3-years post-high school. At each assessment, participants reported frequency of alcohol and cannabis use and the number of substances they had ever used. They also completed 15 daily checklists, in which they reported the number of daily arguments and their daily emotion. Multilevel models suggested that more frequent alcohol and cannabis use were related to attenuated positive emotional reactivity to daily stress (i.e., smaller declines in positive emotion on days when they experienced more arguments) for both male and female adolescents. Associations for negative emotional reactivity to stress varied by sex; more frequent alcohol use and use of more substances in one's lifetime were related to greater anxious emotional reactivity to stress among female adolescents, whereas more frequent alcohol and cannabis use and higher lifetime substance use were related to attenuated depressive emotional reactivity to stress among male adolescents. Taken together, substance use was related to emotional reactivity to daily stress within the same year during adolescence, although associations differed by valence and adolescent sex.

Birds of a Feather Get High Together: A Reconceptualization of the Social Bond with Latent Class Analysis and a Test with Different Forms of Drug Use

Social bond theory has received significant empirical support in examinations of drug use for decades. However, research utilizing the theory has often been fragmented and has not incorporated all four dimensions of the social bond. Additionally, much of this research has collapsed drug use into categories rather than examining specific forms of drug use. These concerns confuse the theoretical and practical insights that may be derived from such analyses. I utilize Monitoring the Future (2019) data to examine social bonding wholistically as latent classes in line with the concept of the social bond described by Hirschi (1969) and estimate the effect of the classes on specific forms of drug use. I find there are four distinct classes of social bonding among U.S. seniors most clearly differentiated by levels of attachment and commitment. Logistic regression results indicated different classes of social bonding were associated with different forms of drug use. I discuss the theoretical implications of the results and how they can be applied for criminal justice practitioners.

Friendship Conflict, Drinking to Cope, and Alcohol-Related Problems: A Longitudinal Actor-Partner Interdependence Model

Drinking to cope with negative affect is a strong predictor of alcohol-related problems. We hypothesized that the association between friendship conflict and alcohol-related problems would be mediated by coping-with-depression motives in emerging adults' close friendships. We used a 4-wave, 4-month longitudinal self-report survey design measuring friendship conflict, coping motives, and alcohol-related problems from 174 same-sex friendship dyads. Participants were recruited from Nova Scotia, Canada between September 2016 and February 2019. Participants had a mean age of 18.66 (SD = 1.17) and were 66.1% female. Data were analyzed using multilevel structural equation modeling. Coping-with-depression motives mediated the link between conflict and alcohol-related problems at the between- and within-subject levels. Unexpectedly, coping-with-anxiety motives was an additional mediator at the within-subjects level. Interventions for emerging adults' problem drinking should consider the influence of friendship conflict and its impact on emerging adults' tendencies to drink to cope with both depression and anxiety. Materials/Syntax: https://osf.io/krs3v/.

Perceived friendship and binge drinking in young adults: A study of the Human Connectome Project data

BACKGROUND

Peer influences figure prominently in young adult binge drinking. Women have trended to show a level of alcohol use on par with men during the last decades. It would be of interest to investigate the neural processes of social cognition that may underlie binge drinking and the potential sex differences.

METHODS

Here, we examined the data of the Human Connectome Project where we identified a total of 175 binge drinkers (125 men) and 285 non-binge drinkers (97 men) performing a social cognition task during brain imaging. We analyzed the imaging data with published routines and evaluated the results at a corrected threshold.

RESULTS

Both male and female binge relative to non-binge drinkers showed higher perceived friendship. Binge relative to non-binge drinkers demonstrated diminished activations in the anterior medial orbitofrontal cortex (amOFC) during perception of social vs. random interaction, with a more prominent effect size in women. Further, whole-brain regression identified activity of the right posterior insula (rPI) in negative correlation with perceived friendship score in non-binge drinking women. Post-hoc analyses showed significant correlation of rPI activity with perceived friendship, amOFC activity, and a summary measure of alcohol use severity identified by principal component analysis, across all subjects. Mediation and path analysis demonstrated a significant model: amOFC activity → rPI activity → perceived friendship → severity of alcohol use.

CONCLUSIONS

These findings support peer influences on binge drinking and suggest neural correlates that may relate altered social cognitive processing to alcohol misuse in young adults.

Online Peers and Offline Highs: An Examination of Online Peer Groups, Social Media Homophily, and Substance Use

Research indicates that youths are particularly susceptible to peer influence and that identifying with substance using peer groups predicts substance use. Today, youth spend more time interacting with distal peer groups via the Internet and have increased access to online drug cultures. Theoretically, this should have important implications for substance use. This study employs a nationally representative sample of U.S. youth (n = 1212), ages 15-25 years old, to examine whether online peer group identification and social media homophily predict substance use. Results indicate that online belonging and social media homophily are associated with some forms of substance use. While these factors were not significantly associated with regular marijuana or alcohol use among those who had initiated use, they predicted regular stimulant and opioid use among substance users. This suggests that online peer groups may promote progression into more problematic forms of substance use. Additional analyses of adolescent and young adult subgroups revealed important similarities and differences among the groups. The findings imply several directions for future research, and suggest that prevention policies and programs should continue to consider the role of online peers, and the Internet generally, in substance use initiation, escalation, and prevention.

The Impact of Addictive Behaviors on Adolescents Psychological Well-Being: The Mediating Effect of Perceived Peer Support

Studies exploring excessive Internet use and gambling are rapidly expanding concerns regarding its impact on mental health, especially in young people due to the increased prevalence of Internet and gambling addictions. Research suggests that perceived peer support plays a significant role in adolescents' psychological well-being. However, no empirical study has dealt with the mediating effect of perceived peer support on the relationship between Internet and gambling addictions and psychological well-being. Thus, the present study aimed to examine whether perceived peer support mediates the relation between Internet and gambling addictions and psychological well-being of adolescents. A sample of 347 Iranian adolescents aged 14 to 18 (Mean age 16.14, 50.4% male) who were studying in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia participated in this study. Subjective Vitality Scale (SVS), Compulsive Internet Use Scale (CIUS), Six-item Social Support Questionnaire (SSQ6), and The South Oaks Gambling Screen (SOGS) were used to collect data. Mediation analyses showed a significant indirect effect of compulsive Internet use and problem gambling on psychological well-being through perceived peer support. The total effects of compulsive Internet use and problem gambling on psychological well-being were negative. This study implies the significance of strengthening the knowledge about the impact of peer relationships among adolescents.

The Association Between Social Media Use and Hazardous Alcohol Use Among Youths: A Four-Country Study

Aims

To examine the continuing role of daily popular social media use in youth hazardous alcohol consumption in four countries across continents.

Methods

A web-based survey was given to youths aged 15–25 in the USA (n = 1212), South Korea (n = 1192), Finland (n = 1200) and Spain (n = 1212). Hazardous alcohol use (alcohol use disorders identification test-C) was the dependent variable. Main independent variables measured daily use of different social media services. Controls included compulsive Internet use, offline belonging, psychological distress, impulsivity, risk-taking, age and gender. Linear regression models and mediation analyses with bootstrapping were done for each country.

Results

Daily use of Facebook and Instagram was associated with higher hazardous alcohol use among youths in Finland, South Korea and Spain. Daily instant messaging was related to higher hazardous alcohol use among South Korean and Finnish youths. Daily YouTube use was associated with higher hazardous alcohol use among youths in South Korea, but lower hazardous alcohol use among youths in the USA and Finland. Daily Twitter use was related to lower hazardous drinking among youths in Finland but higher hazardous drinking among youths in Spain. The mediation analyses revealed that uploading pictures to social media is a possible facilitator of social media-related hazardous alcohol use among youths in the USA and Spain.

Conclusion

Certain social media platforms might inspire and/or attract hazardously drinking youths, contributing to the growing opportunities for social media interventions.

Peer Group Identification as Determinant of Youth Behavior and the Role of Perceived Social Support in Problem Gambling

Gambling opportunities have increased rapidly during recent years. Previous research shows that gambling is a popular activity among youth, which may contribute to problem gambling. This study examined how social identification with online and offline peer groups associates with youth problem gambling behavior and if perceived social support buffers this relationship. Data were gathered with an online survey with 1212 American and 1200 Finnish participants between 15 and 25 years of age. Measures included the South Oaks Gambling Screen for problem gambling, and items for peer group identification and perceived social support. It was found that youth who identify strongly with offline peer groups were less likely to engage in problem gambling, while strong identification with online peer groups had the opposite effect. We also found that the associations between social identification and problem gambling behavior were moderated by perceived social support. Online peer groups may be a determinant in youth problem gambling. Focusing on offline peer groups and increasing social support can hold significant potential in youth gambling prevention.

The Relationship Between Supportive Friendships, Conflictual Friendships, and Deviance During Emerging Adulthood

As deviant behavior is increasing during emerging adulthood and friends are a driving force behind deviance, the goal of this study is to explore the relationships between friend support, conflict, and crime. Using a large sample of friendship pairs and developmental interpretations of social control and differential association theories, a series of mixed models are estimated, which investigate the roles of support, conflict, and peer deviance on an individual's self-reported property crime. Results demonstrate that high levels of support and conflict relate to less offending in both independent and interdependent ways. However, neither social control nor differential association can provide a clear explanation to these findings, even though support and conflict clearly seem important for offending during emerging adulthood.

Addictive behaviors and psychological distress among adolescents and emerging adults: A mediating role of peer group identification

Objective

Research suggests the sense of belonging to primary groups functions as an important social resource for youth well-being, but it can be compromised among those dealing with addiction. The current study examined how adolescents' and emerging adults' identification with a primary peer group consisting of friends, mediates the relationship between addictive behaviors and psychological distress.

Method

The study utilized demographically balanced survey data on 1200 Finnish participants aged 15 to 25 (mean age 21.29, 50% female). Measures were included for psychological distress, excessive drinking, excessive drug use, excessive gambling, excessive Internet use, and peer group identification.

Results

All forms of addictive behaviors had a significant direct relationship with higher psychological distress. Excessive drug use, gambling and Internet use were associated with a weaker identification with a peer group, which predicted higher psychological distress. Contrary to the above findings, excessive drinking was linked to stronger peer group identification, mediating psychological distress downwards.

Conclusions

These findings support past research and provide a mediation model explanation onto how weaker social relations add to negative well-being consequences in different addictive behaviors, thus underlining the importance of expanding our understanding of social group outcomes among young individuals.

•

Data from a demographically balanced sample (N = 1200) of Finnish youths aged 15 to 25.

•

Four different types of addictive behaviors were associated with higher psychological distress.

•

Psychological distress was significantly mediated by social identification to a primary peer group.

•

The mediating role of social identification varied among different addictions.

Unpacking the Role of Conflict in Peer Relationships: Implications for Peer Deviance and Crime

Although criminologists have long recognized the role that peers play in crime, the specific mechanisms responsible for this relationship have been difficult to isolate. Drawing from the perspectives of differential coercion and social support and differential association, we examine how one type of coercion among friends - conflict - moderates the peer deviance/crime relationship. Using dyadic data, greater levels of conflict are related to higher levels of deviance and conflict weakens the peer deviance-crime relationship. Overall, conflict plays a dual role by relating to higher amounts of deviance while jointly reducing the influence of peer deviance on crime.

A Developmental Perspective on Reentry: Understanding the Causes and Consequences of Family Conflict and Peer Delinquency during Adolescence and Emerging Adulthood

Despite the uniqueness of an incarceration experience for adolescents, there remains a shortage of research on adolescents and emerging adults who have been recently released from detention centers and are returning home during the transitional time period of "reentry". Drawing from the developmental literature, the current study uses a diverse (54% Black, 20% White, 26% Other Race) longitudinal survey of 337 male adolescents living in the United States to examine the interrelationships among crime, substance use, family conflict, and peer delinquency. A series of cross-lagged dynamic panel data models using four waves of data demonstrate that while family conflict and peer delinquency relate to increased offending and substance use, conflict in the family is a major driving force behind both future family conflict and peer delinquency. Overall, findings suggest that family conflict is an overlooked, but absolutely critical, factor in explaining deviance and deviant peer associations alike for adolescents and emerging adults who have been recently incarcerated and released.

A Developmental Perspective on Reentry: Understanding the Causes and Consequences of Family Conflict and Peer Delinquency during Adolescence and Emerging Adulthood

Despite the uniqueness of an incarceration experience for adolescents, there remains a shortage of research on adolescents and emerging adults who have been recently released from detention centers and are returning home during the transitional time period of "reentry". Drawing from the developmental literature, the current study uses a diverse (54% Black, 20% White, 26% Other Race) longitudinal survey of 337 male adolescents living in the United States to examine the interrelationships among crime, substance use, family conflict, and peer delinquency. A series of cross-lagged dynamic panel data models using four waves of data demonstrate that while family conflict and peer delinquency relate to increased offending and substance use, conflict in the family is a major driving force behind both future family conflict and peer delinquency. Overall, findings suggest that family conflict is an overlooked, but absolutely critical, factor in explaining deviance and deviant peer associations alike for adolescents and emerging adults who have been recently incarcerated and released.

The Role of Companionship and Conflict in Perceptions of a Friend's Heavy Alcohol and Marijuana Use

Individuals have been found to "project" their own substance use onto perceptions of their friends' substance use. This study explores whether companionship and conflict relate to incorrect perceptions of a friend's heavy alcohol and marijuana use after controlling for the behavior of the respondent and friend. Mixed models demonstrate that having higher levels of companionship, but not conflict, with a friend result in significantly higher perceptual levels of the friend's heavy alcohol and marijuana use. While beneficial for the friendship, higher levels of companionship may result in a person overestimating the heavy alcohol and marijuana use of a friend.

A longitudinal study predicting adolescent tobacco, alcohol, and cannabis use by behavioral characteristics of close friends

Few studies have examined in detail how specific behaviors of close friends put adolescents at risk for specific types of substance use. Using a prospective, longitudinal design, we examined how well the substance use of 248 young urban adolescents was predicted by perceptions of their 3 closest friends' problematic behaviors: (1) using substances, (2) offering substances, and (3) engaging with friends in risky behavior (substance use, illegal behavior, violent behavior, or high-risk sexual behavior). Longitudinal multivariate repeated measures models were tested to predict tobacco, alcohol, and cannabis use and perceived closeness was tested as a moderator of the effects of perceptions of problematic peer behavior. Perceptions of peer substance use were significantly associated with tobacco use, and closeness moderated the influence of peer substance use and offers to use substances on tobacco use. Perceptions of problematic peer behaviors were not significantly associated with alcohol use and closeness was not significant as a moderator. Perceptions of peer substance use was significantly associated with cannabis use, and closeness moderated the influence of perceptions of peer risk behaviors, peer substance use, and offers to use substances on cannabis use. Results implicate the importance of understanding problematic peer behavior within the context of close, adolescent friendships. Adolescents with close friends who were substance users, who made offers to use substances, and who engaged in risky behaviors were more likely to use tobacco and cannabis. Perceptions of young adolescents' close friends' behaviors influenced their substance use up to 2 years later. (PsycINFO Database Record

The Moderating Effects of Peer and Parental Support on the Relationship Between Vicarious Victimization and Substance Use

General strain theory (GST) hypothesizes that youth are more likely to engage in delinquency when they experience vicarious victimization, defined as knowing about or witnessing violence perpetrated against others, but that this relationship may be attenuated for those who receive social support from significant others. Based on prospective data from youth aged 8 to 17 participating in the Project on Human Development in Chicago Neighborhoods (PHDCN), this article found mixed support for these hypotheses. Controlling for prior involvement in delinquency, as well as other risk and protective factors, adolescents who reported more vicarious victimization had an increased likelihood of alcohol use in the short term, but not the long term, and victimization was not related to tobacco or marijuana use. Peer support did not moderate the relationship between vicarious victimization and substance use, but family support did. In contrast to strain theory's predictions, the relationship between vicarious victimization and substance use was stronger for those who had higher compared with lower levels of family support. Implications of these findings for strain theory and future research are discussed.

Fascination and Social Togetherness-Discussions about Spice Smoking on a Swedish Internet Forum

Spice is a smoking mixture containing synthetic cannabinoids with psychoactive effects similar to herbal cannabis. It is sold on the Internet and has become popular among young people. The purpose of the present study was to investigate experiences of intoxication induced by Spice, as described on a Swedish internet-based discussion forum. A systematic search yielded 40 reports, which were analyzed using phenomenological method. A total of 7 themes (composed of 27 categories) emerged from the analysis: 1. Spice use as social ritual; 2. Social secretiveness; 3. Intoxication remarks; 4. Well-being and elation; 5. Altered perception of reality; 6. Fears and coping; 7. Unpleasant physical effects. The results show that smoking was a social activity mostly carried out in small peer-groups, and that the substances induced strong intoxication with both positive and negative effects. Despite fears and unpleasant effects, the intoxication was often considered fascinating and rewarding.