FACTORS ASSOCIATED WITH MARIJUANA USE AMONG AMERICAN-INDIAN ADOLESCENTS

Aim. To examine the characteristics of marijuana users among a large s ample of American Indian high school students. Design. High school sur vey. Setting. Seven predominantly American Indian high schools in four communities west of the Mississippi. Participants. 1464 Indian adoles cents who: (1) completed a survey in November, 1993, (2) were in grade s 9 to 12, (3) were members of one of four Indian tribal groups; and ( 4) had a complete set of data far these analyses. Measurements. Logist ic regression models were developed to predict the probability of low- frequency (1-3 times over the last month) and high-frequency (1 I or m ore times) marijuana use. Independent variables included measures of s ocio-demographics, stressfull life events, personal characteristics an d beliefs, psychiatric symptomatology and other substance use. Finding s. Forty per cent of these American Indian adolescents had used mariju ana at least once in the last month. The prevalence of marijuana use v aried across the four tribes. Males were no more likely than females t o use marijuana at a low frequency, but were more likely to use at a h igh frequency. The factors associated with marijuana use varied with t he frequency of use and by gender. In the final multivariate models, l ow-frequency marijuana use among females was associated with reporting that peers encouraged alcohol use as well as use of alcohol and stimu lants. Among males, low-frequency use was associated with gr eater pos itive alcohol expectancies, lower grades in school and alcohol use. Wh ile high-frequency marijuana use was associated with use of alcohol, s timulants and cocaine among females, such use was associated with high er scores on the antisocial behavior scale as well as the use of alcoh ol, stimulants and cocaine among males. Overall, the strongest associa tions were with the use of alcohol and other illicit substances. Concl usion. Low-frequency and high-frequency marijuana use are distinct pat terns of use and have different correlates across genders. Marijuana u se among American Indian adolescents is a complex phenomenon that is b est understood within the context of other substance use.