Group self-identification as a prospective predictor of drug use and violence in high-risk youth.
This study provides a 1-year prospective analysis of group self-identification as a predictor of adolescent drug use and violence. Youth identified with discrete groups. In most comparisons, 1 year later, a high-risk group reported greater levels of drug use and violence-related exposure than other groups, and the statistical relation between group self-identification and drug use or violence remained after baseline assessment of the drug use or violence measure was controlled for. This is the 1st study to demonstrate that group self-identification is a significant prospective predictor of drug use and other problem behaviors.
Sussman
S
S
Institute for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention Research, University of Southern California, Los Angeles 90033, USA. ssussma@hsc.usc.edu
Dent
C W
CW
McCullar
W J
WJ
D000293:Adolescent; D001290:Attitude; D002140:California / Q000453:epidemiology; D005006:Ethnicity / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010379:Peer Group; D011159:Population Surveillance; D012574:Schools / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012933:Social Identification; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000208:ethnology / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014754:Violence / Q000208:ethnology / Q000523:psychology*