Correlates of student substance use.
Fifteen socio-demographic variables were examined as potential correlates of alcohol, tobacco, inhalant, marijuana and other illicit drug use among students in Years 7 to 11. The variables which most consistently discriminated users and non-users related to truancy, adult supervision of leisure, self-esteem, income and the quality of the mother-child relationship. Age was also a discriminator for all but the illicit group of drugs and revealed an inverse association with inhalant use. Drinking and smoking by various family members or others distinguished the users of alcohol and tobacco too. While further identification of correlates is encouraged, those highlighted should help to target interventions and validate self-report measures of substance use.
Crundall
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IA
Health Department Victoria, PO Box 4057, GPO Melbourne, 3001, Australia.