DRUG-USE AND DELINQUENCY - SHARED AND UNSHARED RISK-FACTORS IN AFRICAN-AMERICAN AND PUERTO-RICAN ADOLESCENTS

The shared and unshared psychosocial risk factors related to stage of drug use and delinquency were examined. The sample consisted of 655 Af rican American and 600 Puerto Rican male and female adolescents. Net r egression analysis was used to analyze the data. The results showed th at adolescent stage of drug use and delinquency reflect shared and uns hared risk factors. The magnitude of the risk factors for adolescent d elinquency was greater than for stage of drug use, The findings suppor t a socialization hypothesis (from parent, to personality, to behavior ), and the data were congruent with a dispositional model (from child, to parent or peer, to behavior).