Adolescent protective behavior to reduce drug and alcohol use, alcohol-related harm and interpersonal violence.
Typically adolescents' friends are considered a risk factor for adolescent engagement in risk-taking. This study took a more novel approach, by examining adolescent friendship as a protective factor. In particular it investigated friends' potential to intervene to reduce risk-taking. Five-hundred-forty adolescents (mean age 13.47 years) were asked about their intention to intervene to reduce friends' alcohol, drug and alcohol-related harms and about psychosocial factors potentially associated with intervening. More than half indicated that they would intervene in friends' alcohol, drug use, alcohol-related harms and interpersonal violence. Intervening was associated with being female, having friends engage in overall less risk-taking and having greater school connectedness. The findings provide an important understanding of increasing adolescent protective behavior as a potential strategy to reduce alcohol and drug related harms.
Buckley
Lisa
L
Centre for Accident Research and Road Safety--Queensland, Queensland University of Technology, Kelvin Grove, Australia. ld.buckley@qut.edu.au
Sheehan
Mary
M
Chapman
Rebekah
R
D000293:Adolescent; D000294:Adolescent Behavior / Q000523:psychology*; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000517:prevention & control; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D033182:Intention; D008297:Male; D010287:Parent-Child Relations; D010379:Peer Group; D012307:Risk Factors; D012725:Sexual Behavior; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000517:prevention & control*; D013694:Temperament; D014754:Violence / Q000517:prevention & control*