Exploring the role of peer influence, linguistic acculturation, and social networks in substance use

Unrestricted Students attending alternative/continuation high schools report significantly higher substance use rates than regular high school students. Peer influence is often implicated as a significant correlate of substance use, with peer relationships being one of the primary factors involved in whether or not youth decide to engage in and maintain these behaviors. This dissertation argues for the need to examine peer social influence as a potential mediator for the association between acculturation on substance use, and the need to apply social network methods when investigating peer influence and substance use.; The first study used a cross-sectional baseline survey of 1720 Hispanic youth attending regular (N=1138) and alternative/continuation (N=582) high schools throughout Southern California. Results indicate linguistic acculturation was associated with increased risk for lifetime and current use of alcohol, cigarettes, marijuana, and hard drug use among the regular high school sample. Among alternative/continuation school students, acculturation was associated with risk for lifetime cigarettes, marijuana, hard drugs and current cigarette and marijuana use. Results of mediation analyses indicated that peer social influence either partially or completely mediated the relationship between linguistic acculturation and substance use.; The second study used cross-sectional data from 714 Hispanic youth attending alternative/continuation high schools. Results indicated a greater level of English speaking proficiency (linguistic acculturation) was associated with greater substance use. Peer social influence was also a significant predictor of substance use. Mediation analyses revealed peer social influence either partially or completely mediated the relationship between linguistic acculturation and several substance use outcomes.; The third study examined associations between network composition (drug network and strength of tie) and substance use among 968 alternative/continuation high school youth. Results indicate that the number of substance users in peer networks (drug network composition) was associated with risk for lifetime use of alcohol, cigarettes, and marijuana, controlling for several covariates. Strength of tie (being closer to first or second named peer vs. third-fifth named peer) was also associated with risk for lifetime cigarette, marijuana, and cocaine use, controlling for several covariates. These findings suggest that peer influence may be an important variable influencing the relationship between acculturation and substance use.