title: Alcohol and Other Drug Resistance Strategies Employed by Rural Adolescents.
abstract: This study seeks to identify how rural adolescents make health decisions and utilize communication strategies to resist influence attempts in offers of alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs (ATOD). Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 113 adolescents from rural school districts to solicit information on ATOD norms, past ATOD experiences, and substance offer-response episodes. Rural youths' resistance strategies were similar to previous findings with urban adolescents - refuse, explain, avoid, and leave (the REAL typology) - while unique features of these strategies were identified including the importance of personal narratives, the articulation of a non-user identity, and being "accountable" to self and others.
authors.affiliation: Department of Communication Arts and Sciences at Penn State University.
authors.forename: Jonathan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Pettigrew
authors.forename: Michelle
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Miller-Day
authors.forename: Janice
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Krieger
authors.forename: Michael L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Hecht