Drug Use in Rural America: A Cross-Cultural Examination of Complementary Social Deviance Theories

Familial factors, peer pressures, & legal constraints have long been linked to adolescent drug use. Until recently, most researchers evaluated the impact of these variables in very atheoretical fashion. To explore, in a cross-cultural context, the complementarity of theoretical arguments drawn from social control & social learning perspectives, questionnaires were administered to all students (N = 900) in grades 6-12 of a Ru school district in a Rocky Mountain state, yielding 605 usable responses. It was found that personal biographical data, legal criticism, & parental & peer support mechanisms all contributed to an understanding of adolescent drug use. However, intriguing anomalies by type of drug (marijuana vs alcohol) & cultural background (native Americans vs Caucasians) were also observed. 3 Tables. Modified HA.