Life experiences, identity and adolescent soft drug use in the Netherlands

Author(s): DeGoede, M., Iedema, J., Maas, C., Duindam, V.

Journal/Book: J Alc Drug Educ. 1999; 45: 1120 East Oakland P O Box 10212, Lansing, MI 48901, USA. Amer Alcohol Drug Information Foundation. 47-59.

Abstract: The authors examined four factors: I) the effects of youngsters' vocational and relationship experiences on their soft drug use, directly or by identity formation, 2) the effects of adherence to non-traditional values of youngsters on their soft drug use, directly or by identity formation; 3) the effects of parental divorce and parental affective involvement on youngsters' soft drug use; and 4) the differences in these effects on boys and girls. Data were used from the Dutch national panel study Utrecht study of Adolescent Development (USAD), a study of developmental processes as they occur in the life course of young people during the 1990s. Using linear structual relation (LISREL) model, we tested hypotheses on two waves of a sample of 1966 respondents between 15 and 27years-of age. Vocational and relationship experiences in adolescence were found to correlate with the use of soft drugs. A low score on relational identity was found to be only a minor risk factor for using soft drugs. Adherence to non-conventional norms and values increase the chance of using soft drugs.

Note: Article Spruijt E, Univ Utrecht, Fac Social Sci, Dept Child & Adolescent Studies, Heidelberglaan 2, NL-3584 CS Utrecht, NETHERLANDS

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