engleski

Risk factors and protective factors for adolescent substance use

The aim of the research was to examine the possible risk or protective role of the selected individual, school, family and peer variables in adolescent substance use and to determine the differences in the contribution of these groups of variables in explaining adolescent substance use. The study was carried out on a representative sample of 723 high school students from Mostar, 370 girls (51%) and 353 boys (49%), aged 14 to 20 (the mean age 16.77 years). The research included individual, school, family, peer, and socio-demographic variables. Hierarchical regression analyses were conducted with cigarettes smoking, alcohol consumption and drug use as criteria. Abovementioned groups of variables explained 42% of the variance in cigarette smoking (in the last 30 days), 54.5% of the variance in alcohol consumption and 45.7% of the variance in drug use. In all of the three cases peer variables were among those explaining the most variance. The number of household substance users, father's alcoholism, truancy and perceived peer substance use were determined as risk factors, while ability to manage and regulate emotions, religious beliefs, importance of faith and components of authoritative parenting style (parental monitoring and parentsl support) as protective factors. The results are discussed according to the theoretical models that emphasize the influence of multiple risk and protective factors for substance use.

prevention; substance use; risk factors; protective factors

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