Group Identification and Adolescent Substance Use

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Group Identification and Adolescent Substance Use

• Kirsten Verkooijen
• University of Southern Denmark
• Gert Nielsen
• Danish Cancer Society
• Nanne de Vries
• Maastricht University
• Evelyne de Leeuw
• Deakin University

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Adolescence

• Adolescence is a period in life when identity
  formation is crucial
• Substance use starts typically in this same
  period
• (How) are these phenomena linked?

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Youth Crowds (subcultures)

• Loosely organized groups tied together by a
  stereotypical attribute (e.g., clothing style,
  music preference, activities, school achievement,
  etc.)

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Purpose of the Study

• To examine the relationship between adolescents
  identification with specific youth crowds and
  their engagement in smoking, marijuana use, and
  excessive alcohol consumption

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Design Sample

• Self-report data were collected in two waves
• with 1½ year in between.
• First wave collection among 16 to 20 year-old
  Danes (N 3956, response rate 66)
• Second wave collection among previous
  participants (N1611, response rate 74)

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Measures

• Prior inquiry among the target population
  revealed 9 subgroups sporty, pop boy/girl,
  hip-hopper/skater, bodybuilder, quiet boy/girl,
  techno freak, computer nerd, religious and
  hippie.
• Group identity items How would you agree if a
  friend called you a subgroup? 5-point answer
  scale totally disagree totally agree
• Items on smoking, alcohol, and marijuana use

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Measure of Group Identification
If a friend would call you one of the following
names, how would you agree?
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Data Analyses Strategy

• A score 4 or 5 on the group identity items was
  interpreted as a positive identification with
  that group
• 21 did not identify with any of the groups, 38
  identified with one group, and 41 with multiple
  groups
• The data analysis included respondents with 1
  positive group identification (N1444).
  Bodybuilders were left out as their sample was
  very small (n19)
• Final sample
• sporty (n608), pop (n160), skate/hip-hop
  (n61), quiet (n296), techno (n45), computer
  nerd (n59), religious (n60), and hippie (n136)

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Results Smoking
Fig.1 Smoking prevalence () by group identity
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Results Marijuana Use
Fig. 2 Last month marijuana use () by group
identity
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Results Alcohol
Fig. 3 Last month drunkenness prevalence () by
group identity
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Odds Ratios
Low-risk groups
High-risk groups
plt .001, plt .05
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Remaining questions

• What about those adolescents who identify with
  multiple groups?
• Does group identification predict substance use
  over time?

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Multiple Group Identification
Table 3. Effect of number and type of group
identification
plt .001, plt .05
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Longitudinal Analyses
Table 2. Prospective effects of group identity on
smoking behaviour
plt .05
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Conclusion

• Group identification is associated with substance
  use. We identified 4 high-risk and 4 low-risk
  groups. The association is strongest for smoking
  and marijuana use
• Identification with multiple high-risk groups
  increases and identification with multiple
  low-risk groups decreases substance use
• Group identification predicts smoking 1½ year
  later