Smoking, Drinking, and Drug Use in Young Adulthood: The Impacts of New Freedoms and New Responsibilities

by Bachman; Jerald G.

• ISBN13: 9780805825473
• ISBN10: 0805825479
• eBook ISBN(s): 9781134803538
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 1997-01-01
• Publisher: Psychology Pres
• More Book Details

Summary

Why do some young adults substantially change their patterns of smoking, drinking, or illicit drug use after graduating from high school? In this book, the authors show that leaving high school and leaving home create new freedoms that are linked to increases in the use of cigarettes, alcohol, marijuana, and cocaine. They also show that marriage, pregnancy, and parenthood create new responsibilities that are linked to decreases in drug use. The research is based on more than 33,000 young people followed from high school through young adulthood by the nationwide Monitoring the Future project. Every two years, participants reported on their drug use, as well as their schooling, employment, military service, living arrangements, marriages, pregnancies, parenthood, and even their divorces. The unique qualities of this research--large nationally representative samples, follow-ups extending up to 14 years beyond high school, and multiple approaches to analysis and data presentation--allowed the examination of several important influences simultaneously, while retaining much of the rich detail encountered in the real world. On the whole, the results are encouraging, suggesting that the potentials for change and improvement during the transition to adulthood are as important as the detrimental effects of problem behavior in adolescence. This research is a "must" read for anyone concerned with how new freedoms and responsibilities impact adolescents, young adults, and the use of licit and illicit drugs.

Table of Contents

Preface	xv
How This Book Is Linked With Our Earlier Research	xv	(1)
Guidelines for Using This Book	xvi	(2)
Acknowledgments	xviii
1 Introduction and Overview	1	(7)
Change and Stability in Drug Use	1	(2)
Data Quantity, Quality, and Breadth of Generalization	3	(2)
Studying Causal Relationships in Natural Settings	5	(1)
Chapter Outline and Preview of Key Findings	6	(2)
2 Reviewing the Influence of Social Roles on Drug Use During the Transition to young Adulthood	8	(18)
The Transition to Young Adulthood	8	(2)
Relating the Young Adult Transition to Changes in Drug Use	10	(5)
Evidence for the Influence of Adult Roles on Drug Use	15	(9)
Marriage	16	(1)
Engagement	17	(1)
Cohabitation	18	(1)
Pregnancy	19	(1)
Parenthood	20	(1)
Single Parenthood	21	(1)
Education	22	(1)
Living Arrangements	22	(1)
Employment	23	(1)
The Influence of Demographic/Background Factors on Drug Use	24	(1)
Conclusions	24	(2)
3 Examining Roles and Experiences During the Post-High-School Years--Sample Characteristics and Analysis Strategy	26	(24)
Sample Characteristics and Representativeness	26	(3)
Patterns of Post-High-School Education and Employment	29	(4)
Student Experiences	29	(2)
Employment Experiences	31	(2)
Marital Status and Living Arrangements	33	(3)
Marital Status	33	(1)
Other Living Arrangements	34	(2)
Pregnancy and Parenthood	36	(2)
Pregnancy	36	(1)
Parenthood	37	(1)
Summary and Implications for Analyses of Drug Use	38	(1)
Analysis Issues and Strategies	39	(11)
The Complexity of Panel Data and the Need to Simplify	40	(4)
Studying Change Across Just Two Points in Time	44	(1)
Treating Senior Year as the Starting Point	44	(1)
Pooling Data Across Multiple Follow-Ups	44	(2)
Pooling Data Across Multiple Cohorts	46	(1)
Multiple Regression Analyses Predicting to Change Scores	46	(1)
Comparison Among Overlapping Predictor Sets	47	(1)
Overview of Analyses Used in the Following Chapters	48	(2)
4 Changes in Cigarette Use	50	(27)
Patterns of Change in Cigarette Use	52	(3)
Rates of Daily Smoking	52	(2)
Stability and Transitions in Daily Smoking	54	(1)
Analyses Linking Cigarette Use With Post-High-School Experiences	55	(17)
Student Status Related to Cigarette Use	57	(1)
Employment Status Related to Cigarette Use	57	(4)
Full-Time Civilian Employment	57	(3)
Part-Time Employment	60	(1)
Military Service	60	(1)
Homemakers	60	(1)
Unemployment	61	(1)
Living Arrangements and Marital Status Related to Cigarette Use	61	(3)
Being Married	61	(2)
Cohabiting	63	(1)
Living With Parents	63	(1)
Living in a Dormitory	63	(1)
Living Alone and Other Living Arrangements	63	(1)
Pregnancy and Parenthood Related to Cigarette Use	64	(3)
Pregnancy	64	(2)
Parenthood	66	(1)
Further Findings on Marital Status and Cigarette Use	67	(5)
Engagement	67	(1)
Divorce	68	(4)
Conclusions From Multivariate Analyses Linking Cigarette Use With Post-High-School Experiences	72	(5)
Explained Variance	72	(1)
Accounting for Age-Related Changes in Cigarette Use	73	(4)
5 Changes in Alcohol Use	77	(34)
Patterns of Change in Alcohol Use	78	(3)
Rates of Alcohol Use and Heavy Drinking	79	(2)
Analyses Linking Current and Heavy Alcohol Use With Post-High-School Experiences	81	(23)
Student Status Related to Alcohol use	81	(3)
Employment Status Related to Alcohol Use	84	(5)
Full-Time Civilian Employment	84	(3)
Part-Time Employment	87	(1)
Military Experience	87	(1)
Homemakers	87	(1)
Unemployment	88	(1)
Living Arrangements and Marital Status Related to Alcohol Use	89	(5)
Being Married	89	(3)
Cohabiting	92	(1)
Living With Parents	93	(1)
Living in a Dormitory	93	(1)
Living Alone	93	(1)
Other Living Arrangements	93	(1)
Pregnancy and Parenthood Related to Alcohol Use	94	(4)
Pregnancy	94	(3)
Parenthood	97	(1)
Further Findings on Marital Status and Alcohol Use	98	(6)
Engagement	98	(1)
Divorce	99	(5)
Implications for Interpreting the Marriage Effect	104	(1)
Conclusions From Multivariate Analyses Linking Alcohol Use With Post-High-School Experiences	104	(7)
Explained Variance	104	(1)
Overlaps Between Student Status and Living Arrangements	105	(1)
Accounting for Age-Related Changes in Alcohol Use	106	(5)
6 Changes in Marijuana Use	111	(23)
Patterns of Change in Marijuana Use	112	(3)
Rates of Current and Annual Marijuana Use	112	(3)
Analyses Linking Marijuana Use With Post-High-School Experiences	115	(5)
Student Status Related to Marijuana Use	116	(1)
Employment Status Related to Marijuana Use	116	(4)
Full-Time Civilian Employment	116	(3)
Part-Time Employment	119	(1)
Military Service	119	(1)
Homemakers	119	(1)
Unemployment	120	(1)
Living Arrangements and Marital Status Related to Marijuana Use	120	(4)
Being Married	120	(2)
Cohabiting	122	(1)
Living With Parents	122	(1)
Living in a Dormitory	123	(1)
Living Alone	123	(1)
Other Living Arrangements	123	(1)
Pregnancy and Parenthood Related to Marijuana Use	124	(2)
Pregnancy	124	(2)
Parenthood	126	(1)
Further Findings on Marital Status and Marijuana Use	126	(4)
Engagement	127	(1)
Divorce	127	(3)
Conclusions From Multivariate Analyses Linking Marijuana Use With Post-High-School Experiences	130	(4)
Explained Variance	130	(1)
Overlaps Between Student/Work Status and Living Arrangements	131	(1)
Accounting for Age-Related Changes in Marijuana Use	132	(2)
7 Changes in Cocaine Use	134	(18)
Patterns of Change in Cocaine Use	134	(3)
Rates of Current and Annual Cocaine Use	135	(2)
Analyses Linking Cocaine Use With Post-High-School Experiences	137	(12)
Student Status Related to Cocaine Use	137	(2)
Employment Status Related to Cocaine Use	139	(2)
Full-Time Civilian Employment	139	(1)
Part-Time Employment	139	(1)
Military Service	139	(2)
Homemakers	141	(1)
Unemployment	141	(1)
Living Arrangements and Marital Status Related to Cocaine Use	141	(3)
Being Married	141	(2)
Cohabiting	143	(1)
Living With Parents	143	(1)
Living in a Dormitory	143	(1)
Living Alone	144	(1)
Other Living Arrangements	144	(1)
Pregnancy and Parenthood Related to Cocaine Use	144	(2)
Pregnancy	144	(1)
Parenthood	144	(2)
Further Findings on Marital Status and Cocaine Use	146	(3)
Engagement	146	(1)
Divorce	146	(3)
Conclusions From Multivariate Analyses Linking Cocaine Use With Post-High-School Experiences	149	(3)
Explained Variance	149	(1)
Overlaps Between Student/Work Status and Living Arrangements	149	(1)
Accounting for Age-Related Changes in Cocaine Use	150	(2)
8 Summary, Conclusions and Implications	152	(39)
Placing These Findings in Context	153	(5)
New Perspectives on the Drug Problem in the United States	153	(1)
Secular Trends (Period Effects) in Drug Use	154	(1)
Perceptions and Attitudes About Drugs	155	(1)
Stability of Drug Use During Young Adulthood	156	(2)
Differences, Similarities, and Interrelationships Among Drug-Using Behaviors	158	(7)
Smoking Correlated With Other Drug Use	159	(2)
Alcohol Use Correlated With Other Drug Use	161	(1)
Marijuana Use and Cocaine Use Correlated With Other Drug Use	161	(4)
Linking Drug Use With Post-High-School Experiences: Summarizing and Interpreting Our Findings	165	(15)
Causal Assumptions and the Limitations of Observational Studies	165	(1)
Disentangling the Effects of Post-High-School Experiences	166	(1)
Student Status Related to Drug Use	167	(2)
Employment Status Related to Drug Use	169	(2)
Full-Time Civilian Employment	169	(1)
Part-Time Employment	170	(1)
Military Service	170	(1)
Homemakers	170	(1)
Unemployment	171	(1)
Living Arrangements and Marital Status Related to Drug Use	171	(5)
Being Married	172	(1)
Cohabiting	173	(1)
Living With Parents	174	(1)
Living in a Dormitory	174	(1)
Living Alone	175	(1)
Other Living Arrangements	175	(1)
Pregnancy and Parenthood Related to Drug Use	176	(2)
Pregnancy	176	(1)
Parenthood	177	(1)
Further Finding on Marriage, Engagement, Divorce and Drug Use	178	(2)
Engagement	178	(1)
Divorce	179	(1)
Interpreting the Marriage Effect on Drug Use	179	(1)
Conclusions and Implications	180	(11)
Stability Versus Change-Selection Versus Socialization	180	(1)
Two Directions of Change in Young Adulthood	181	(2)
New Freedoms and Increases in Drug Use	181	(1)
New Responsibilities and Decreases in Drug Use	182	(1)
Freedoms and Responsibilities: The Shifting Balance	183	(1)
Accounting for Age-Related Differences in Drug Use by Young Adults	183	(2)
Implications of Findings on Age-Related Changes in Drug Use	185	(1)
Implications for Future Analyses	186	(4)
Leaving Parents' Homes	188	(1)
Engagement and Marriage	188	(1)
Divorce	188	(1)
Cohabitation	189	(1)
Pregnancy	189	(1)
Parenthood	189	(1)
Next Steps	190	(1)
Concluding Comments on Young Adulthood, New Freedoms, and New Responsibilities	190	(1)
Appendix	191	(32)
Sampling and Data-Collection Procedures	191	(5)
Sample Design and Methods	191	(1)
Multistage Samples of High-School Seniors	191	(1)
Follow-Up Samples of Young Adults	192	(1)
Use of Sample Weights in These Analyses	192	(1)
Samples Included in These Analyses	193	(1)
Focus on Unmarried Seniors Living With Parents	193	(1)
Representativeness of Samples	193	(3)
Survey Methods	196	(1)
Questionnaires	196	(1)
Base-Year Surveys of High-School Seniors	196	(1)
Follow-Up Surveys of Young Adults	196	(1)
Validity of Self-Reported Drug-Use Measures	196	(1)
Multiple Regression Analyses Predicting Changes in Drug Use	197	(26)
Variables Used in the Regression Analyses	198	(3)
Dependent Variables: Drug Use Change Scores	198	(1)
Predictor Variables: Post-High-School Roles and Experiences	199	(1)
Additional Predictors: Control or Background Factors	200	(1)
Conventions Followed in Conducting and Reporting Regression Analyses	201	(3)
Numbers of Cases Specified for Regression Analyses	201	(1)
Pair-Wise Deletion, Missing Data on Pregnancy	201	(1)
Dummy Variables and Continuous Variables	202	(1)
Special Format for Reporting Regression Analyses	202	(2)
Detailed Guidelines for Interpreting Regression Tables	204	(19)
Columns 1-5: Analyses Using All Available Cases	204	(1)
Columns 6-7: Analyses Using the First Two Follow-Ups Only	204	(1)
Constant	205	(1)
Coefficients for Predictors Treated as Interval Scales	205	(1)
Coefficients for Categorical Predictors	206	(1)
Multiple-R and Multiple-R-Squared Values	206	(17)
References	223	(10)
Author Index	233	(4)
Subject Index	237