title: The influence of protective and risk factors in individual, peer and school domains on Thai adolescents' alcohol and illicit drug use: a survey.
abstract: This study investigates risk and protective factors for substance abuse in a sample of 1778 students attending technical colleges in Bangkok and Nakhon Ratchasima provinces of Thailand using a self-report questionnaire modified from the Communities That Care youth survey. Low school commitment was strongly associated with illicit drug use, with adjusted odds ratios ranging from 2.84 (glue sniffing) to 10.06 (ecstasy). Having friends using drugs, and friends with delinquent behaviors increased the risk of using alcohol and illegal drugs, with adjusted odds ratios of 6.84 and 6.72 respectively for marijuana use. For protective factors, approximately 40-60% of students with high levels of moral belief, participation in religious activities, and social skills were less likely to use alcohol. It is concluded that peer influence is a significant contributor to Thai adolescents' participation in substance abuse and that engaging in religiosity may assist adolescents to internalize negative aspects of harmful drugs into positive perceptions and encourage them to avoid alcohol and illegal drugs.
authors.affiliation: School of Biomedical Sciences, Charles Sturt University, New South Wales, Australia. Electronic address: nwongtongkam@csu.edu.au.
authors.forename: Nualnong
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Wongtongkam
authors.affiliation: School of Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences, Flinders University, South Australia, Australia.
authors.forename: Paul Russell
authors.initials: PR
authors.lastname: Ward
authors.affiliation: School of Psychology, Faculty of Health, Deakin University, Victoria, Australia.
authors.forename: Andrew
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Day
authors.affiliation: School of Psychology, Social Work and Social Policy, University of South Australia, South Australia, Australia; School of Psychology, The University of Adelaide, South Australia, Australia.
authors.forename: Anthony Harold
authors.initials: AH
authors.lastname: Winefield
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000294:Adolescent Behavior / Q000523:psychology*; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D013287:Illicit Drugs; D058545:Inhalant Abuse / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D008297:Male; D008385:Marijuana Smoking / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D009014:Morals; D016017:Odds Ratio; D010379:Peer Group; D065840:Protective Factors; D012307:Risk Factors; D012574:Schools; D066107:Social Skills; D013334:Students; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013785:Thailand / Q000453:epidemiology
chemical_list: D013287:Illicit Drugs
keywords: Alcohol; Illicit drugs; Individual; Peer; Technical colleges; Thailand