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Abstract
| In the past, rural African-American adolescents were thought to be at less of a risk for problematic use of drugs and alcohol, but research has found that this group’s level of usage parallels that of their urban counterparts. Statistical analyses found that participants are affected by how accessible drugs and alcohol are. Those who had the most access to marijuana and alcohol showed increased levels of usage of such substances. In addition, participants who perceived marijuana to be most harmful used less and chose peers with similar attitudes-and thus similar degrees of use. This pattern did not hold true for those who believed alcohol to be harmful; while some individuals realized the consequences involved with alcohol use this did not seem to affect their own usage or peer usage. Lastly, while many youth programs focus on drug and alcohol education, it was found that the amount of knowledge an individual had about drugs and alcohol did not necessarily ensure that individuals would show lower degrees of use with more knowledge or more use with less knowledge. This suggests new strategies need to be undertaken in working toward decreasing drug and alcohol use among rural African-American adolescents. |
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