SWISS ADOLESCENT DRUG-USERS AND NONUSERS OPTIMISM ABOUT THEIR FUTURE

Swiss adolescents, aged 16 to 17 years, were asked about their past dr ug use, their intended drug use, their optimism about their future hea lth, their negative emotions, and their well-being. On the basis of th eir self-reports, they were divided into 3 types of drug users: nonuse rs, experimenters, and frequent users. Compared with nonusers, experim enters and frequent users reported low optimism and more negative feel ings. Females reported more negative feelings and less psychological w ell-being than did males, but the genders did not differ regarding opt imism. Logistic regression demonstrated that optimism about future hea lth was a protective factor for the intention to use drugs. Students w ho perceived themselves as less vulnerable to harm had in the past not used drugs and intended not to accept drugs when given the occasion. The implications of the findings for prevention of drug use are discus sed.