Area specific self-esteem, values, and adolescent substance use.
The use of illicit and licit drugs continues to be a major public health concern. Many prevention and drug education programs address this issue by attempting to enhance self-esteem. The idea is that increased levels of self-esteem will serve as a protective factor in decreasing the motivation and increasing the resistance to use drugs. This study explored the relationship between area specific self-esteem and adolescent substance use. Participants (n = 700) completed a self-report questionnaire which included items measuring the use and expected use of selected substances. Results indicated significant differences in home and school self-esteem scores between users/expected users and non-users of a given substance for all 14 behavioral measures. Additionally, the peer, home, and school sub-scales as a set were found to distinguish between users and non-users for all 14 behavioral measures. Results should be of value to those designing prevention programming.
Dept. of Health & Nutrition Sciences, Montclair State University, NJ 07043, USA. donnellyj@mail.montclair.edu
Joseph
J
Donnelly
Michael
M
Young
Rebecca
R
Pearson
Tina M
TM
Penhollow
Aida
A
Hernandez
D000293:Adolescent; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012309:Risk-Taking; D012649:Self Concept; D012945:Social Values; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014481:United States