title: Reputations, self-concepts and coping strategies of volatile solvent users.
abstract: Data pertaining to the reputations, self-concepts and coping strategies of thirty-one secondary school Volatile Solvent Users (VSUs), forty-four ex-VSUs, and forty-eight non-VSUs in the Perth Metropolitan area of Western Australia were obtained using the High School Student Activity Questionnaire. Findings revealed that significant differences between current VSUs, ex-VSUs, and non-VSUs were more attributable to factors of reputation enhancement than to factors of either self-concept or coping strategies. Current VSUs identified themselves as both having and wanting to have a more non-confronting reputation, and as admiring drug-related activities significantly more than both ex-VSUs and non-VSUs. Two coping variables were also found to be significant indicating that females use more non-productive coping strategies and external coping strategies than males. No interaction effects were identified. The implications for drug education and further research are discussed.
authors.affiliation: Graduate School of Education, University of Western Australia, Nedlands, Perth, Western Australia.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Houghton
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Odgers
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Carroll
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010379:Peer Group; D012649:Self Concept; D012938:Social Perception; D013334:Students / Q000523:psychology*; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014504:Urban Health; D014904:Western Australia