title: Frequent electronic media communication with friends is associated with higher adolescent substance use.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study investigated the unique associations between electronic media communication (EMC) with friends and adolescent substance use (tobacco, alcohol, and cannabis), over and beyond the associations of face-to-face (FTF) interactions with friends and the average level of classroom substance use.
  
  
  METHODS
  Drawn from the cross-national 2009/2010 Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) study in The Netherlands, 5,642 Dutch adolescents (Mage = 14.29) reported on their substance use, EMC, and FTF interactions. Two-level multilevel analyses (participants nested within classrooms) were run.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Electronic media communication was positively associated with adolescent substance use, though significantly more strongly with alcohol (β = 0.15, SEβ = 0.02) than with tobacco (β = 0.05, SEβ = 0.02, t (5,180) = 3.33, p < 0.001) or cannabis use (β = 0.06, SEβ = 0.02, t (5,160) = 2.79, p < 0.01). Further, EMC strengthened several positive associations of FTF interactions and average classroom substance use with adolescent substance use.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Electronic media communication was uniquely associated with substance use, predominantly with alcohol use. Thus, adolescents' EMC and other online behaviors should not be left unnoticed in substance use research and prevention programs.
authors.affiliation: Centre for Child and Adolescent Studies, Utrecht University, Heidelberglaan 1, 3584 CS, Utrecht, The Netherlands, r.gommans@uu.nl.
authors.forename: Rob
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Gommans
authors.forename: Gonneke W J M
authors.initials: GW
authors.lastname: Stevens
authors.forename: Emily
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Finne
authors.forename: Antonius H N
authors.initials: AH
authors.lastname: Cillessen
authors.forename: Meyran
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Boniel-Nissim
authors.forename: Tom F M
authors.initials: TF
authors.lastname: ter Bogt
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000294:Adolescent Behavior; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000453:epidemiology; D003142:Communication; D003195:Computer Communication Networks / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D033062:Friends; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D020407:Internet / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008297:Male; D008385:Marijuana Smoking / Q000453:epidemiology; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D009426:Netherlands / Q000453:epidemiology; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012309:Risk-Taking; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000503:physiopathology