NCJ Number
199749
Journal
Journal of Drug Education Volume: 32 Issue: 4 Dated: 2002 Pages: 319-342
Date Published
2002
Length
24 pages
Annotation
This study tested a series of Item Response Theory (IRT) models to examine the individual and neighborhood variation in perceived risk of the use of various substances (alcohol, marijuana, and hard drugs) and use patterns (light/experimental use, moderate use, heavy/regular use).
Abstract
The analyses used baseline data from the Project on Human Development in Chicago Neighborhoods, an ongoing study of youth living in Chicago neighborhoods. These data will be used to characterize the neighborhood effects on physical and social development that occurs from birth to age 22. For the current study, data were collected from 2,266 adolescents aged 9, 12, and 15 who resided in 79 Chicago neighborhoods. Respondents were asked to rate the harmfulness of tobacco, alcohol, marijuana, cocaine, crack, heroin, inhalants, and steroids on a scale. Items concerning illicit substances were further separated into use patterns. Part of the plan of this study involved classifying the items by use patterns and type of substance. The study found that older respondents rated alcohol and marijuana as less harmful compared to the younger respondents, but rated hard drugs as more harmful. Risk perceptions were found to be more closely related to the respondent's direct experience with drugs rather than to a general constellation of beliefs. Neighborhood variation in risk perceptions was also found for hard drugs and three patterns of use, controlling for characteristics of individual residents. Neighborhoods did not vary in risk perceptions toward alcohol use. Individual-level factors rather than neighborhood characteristics explained the observed neighborhood variation in perceptions toward marijuana use. These findings indicate complex links between individual and contextual factors in the development of beliefs about the health risks associated with substance use. 5 tables and 50 references