The Decline of Substance Use in Young Adulthood: Changes in Social Activities, Roles, and Beliefs

by Bachman, Jerald G.; O'Malley, Patrick M.; Schulenberg, John E.; Johnston, Lloyd D.

• ISBN13: 9780805839647
• ISBN10: 080583964X
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2001-09-01
• Publisher: Lawrence Erlbau

Summary

This book is intended as a thoughtful extension to Bachman et al.'s well-received monographSmoking, Drinking, and Drug Use in Young Adulthood.That volume showed that the new freedoms of young adulthood lead to increases in substance use, while the responsibilities of adulthood--marriage, pregnancy, parenthood--contribute to declines in substance use.The Decline of Substance Use in Young Adulthoodexamines how the changes in social and religious experiences and in attitudes toward substance use observed among young adults are related to changes in substance use, family transitions, living arrangements, college experience, and employment. The research uses a variety of analysis techniques and is based on the nationwide Monitoring the Future surveys of more than 38,000 young people followed from high school into adulthood. The research covers the last quarter of the 20th century, a period when drug use and views about drugs underwent many important changes. In spite of these shifts, the overall patterns of relationships reported in this book are impressive in their consistency across time and in their general similarity for men and women. Specific questions addressed include the following: *As young adults experience new freedoms and responsibilities, do their attitudes about drugs change? *Do their religious views and behaviors shift? *Do their new freedoms and responsibilities affect the amount of time they spend in social activities, including going to parties and bars? *And how are any of these changes linked to changes in cigarette use, alcohol use, marijuana use, and cocaine use?

Table of Contents

Series Editors' Foreword	ix
Preface	xi
This Book and the Earlier Book: Distinctions and Overlaps	xii
Guidelines for Using this Book	xiii
Acknowledgments	xiv
Introduction and Overview	1	(7)
Observations on Data Quality and Breadth of Generalization	4	(2)
Studying Complex Causal Relationships in Natural Settings	6	(2)
Literature Review: Conceptual and Empirical Overview of Issues	8	(16)
Young Adulthood	8	(3)
Social Roles	11	(6)
Values, Attitudes, and Behaviors	17	(5)
Conclusions	22	(2)
Examining Mediating Variables---Sample Characteristics and Analysis Strategies	24	(16)
Sample Characteristics and Representativeness	25	(2)
A Four-Step Analysis Strategy	27	(5)
Additional Panel Analysis Issues and Strategies	32	(8)
Religious Attendance and Importance	40	(31)
Patterns of Age-Related Change in Religiosity	40	(5)
How Changes in Religiosity Relate to Changes in Substance Use	45	(14)
Analyses Linking Religiosity With Post-High-School Experiences	59	(11)
Summary	70	(1)
Time Spent on Various Social and Recreational Activities	71	(50)
Patterns of Age-Related Change in Evenings Out and Related Behaviors	72	(5)
How Changes in Evenings Out Are Linked With Changes in Substance Use	77	(14)
How Changes in Other Social-Recreational Behaviors Are Linked with Changes in Substance Use	91	(6)
Analyses Linking Recreational Lifestyle With Post-High-School Experiences	97	(19)
Summary	116	(5)
Perceived Risks and Disapproval of Smoking, Heavy Drinking, and Illicit Drug Use	121	(35)
Focusing on Views About Specific Substances Rather than Substance Use in General	122	(1)
Patterns of Age-Related Change in Percieved Risks and Disapproval	123	(10)
How Perceived Risks and Disapproval Are Correlated With Substance Use	133	(13)
Analyses Linking Perceived Risks and Disapproval With Post-High-School Experiences	146	(8)
Summary	154	(2)
Friends' Use of Substances, and Perceived Availability of Illicit Drugs	156	(25)
Patterns of Age-Related Change in (Perceived) Friends' Use of Substances and in Perceived Availability of Illicit Drugs	158	(9)
How Perceptions of Friends' Use Are Correlated With Substance Use	167	(2)
How Perceptions of Availability Are Correlated With Substance Use	169	(3)
Analyses Linking Friends' Use of Substances With Post-High-School Experiences	172	(6)
Analyses Linking Perceptions of Availability With Post-High-School Experiences	178	(1)
Summary	179	(2)
Putting the Pieces Together---Structural Equation Models	181	(21)
Decisions About Variables, Samples, and Models	182	(7)
Analytic Approach	189	(1)
Findings From the Structural Equation Modeling	190	(10)
Summary	200	(2)
Summary, Conclusions, and Implications	202	(19)
Conceptual Overview Revisited: Fitting Together All of the Pieces	202	(7)
Impacts of the New Freedoms and New Responsibilities in Young Adulthood	209	(7)
Conclusions and Implications	216	(2)
Concluding Comments on Declining Substance Use in Young Adulthood: Impacts of Social Activities, Roles, and Beliefs	218	(3)
Appendix	221	(66)
Sampling and Data-Collection Procedures	221	(3)
Patterns of Post-High-School Experiences	224	(12)
Multiple Classification Analyses Predicting Changes in Mediating Variables	236	(51)
References	287	(8)
Author Index	295	(4)
Subject Index	299