The relationship of family structure to adolescent drug use, peer affiliation, and perception of peer acceptance of drug use

This study examined the relationship of family structure to adolescent gate way drug use and peer-related factors. The sample consisted of 2,121 random ly selected students in grades 8, 10, and 12 from seventeen school district s in northeastern Ohio. Students were administered a self-report instrument containing items measuring drug use and psychosocial variables. For purpos es of analysis, the dependent variables included frequency of use of five g ateway drugs, degree of affiliation with drug-using peers, and perceptions of peer acceptance of drug use. Comparison groups included single-parent (b oth mother- and father-headed), stepparent, and intact families. Analyses w ere conducted separately by grade level. Significant differences were found between groups on the drug-use variables at grades 8 and 10, with adolesce nts from intact families reporting less frequent drug use, fewer drug-using friends, and perceptions of more peer disapproval of drug use. Interesting ly, there were several statistically significant group differences on perce ptions of peer acceptance of drug use and the number of drug-using friends at the 8th-grade level. The largest differences were found between the sing le-parent (father-headed) and intact groups, with adolescents from father-h eaded families showing more frequent beer and liquor consumption at the 10t h-grade level.