Drug Use Homophily in Adolescent Offenders' Close Friendship Groups

Authors

Anna D. Drozdova, Department of Psychology, The University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, TX, USA. adrozdova@miners.utep.edu.
April Gile Thomas, Department of Psychology, The University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, TX, USA.
Hannah I. Volpert-Esmond, Department of Psychology, The University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, TX, USA.
Laurence Steinberg, Department of Psychology, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
Paul J. Frick, Department of Psychology, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA, USA.
Elizabeth E. Cauffman, Department of Psychological Science, University of California, Irvine, CA, USA.

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

10-1-2022

Abstract

Adolescents who befriend drug using peers may be at risk for initiated and continued substance use. The present secondary data analysis examined how drug use homophily (i.e., similarity) in justice-involved boys' friendship groups relates to their subsequent substance use variety across a period of five years. Participants were 1216 first-time adolescent offenders (M = 15.29; 100% male). Multilevel model analyses revealed that, among participants who entered the study with a history of substance use, drug use homophily was associated with greater subsequent substance use variety. Among participants who entered the study without a history of substance use, this association was no longer significant. The findings have implications for guiding justice system programming aimed at decreasing adolescent offenders' substance use.

Publication Source (Journal or Book title)

Journal of youth and adolescence

First Page

2046

Last Page

2059

Recommended Citation

Drozdova, A. D., Thomas, A. G., Volpert-Esmond, H. I., Steinberg, L., Frick, P. J., & Cauffman, E. E. (2022). Drug Use Homophily in Adolescent Offenders' Close Friendship Groups. Journal of youth and adolescence, 51 (10), 2046-2059. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-022-01637-x