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Peer Information and Substance Use Decision Making in Street‐Involved Youth
Author(s) -
Macdonald Erin P.,
Howard Andrea L.
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
journal of research on adolescence
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.342
H-Index - 95
eISSN - 1532-7795
pISSN - 1050-8392
DOI - 10.1111/jora.12574
Subject(s) - salience (neuroscience) , psychology , substance use , context (archaeology) , information sharing , peer influence , peer group , applied psychology , social psychology , clinical psychology , computer science , world wide web , paleontology , cognitive psychology , biology
In the context of adolescent substance use, peers are a primary source of both influence and information. Substance‐related peer information sharing is a relatively understudied phenomenon, particularly in street‐involved youth. We recruited 84 youth from a community drop‐in center to complete a survey assessing substance use and peer influence on drug use. A subset of youth completed a semi‐structured interview assessing factors related to peer information sharing around drug use. Results showed that peer influence was highly relevant to drug use patterns in street‐involved youth. Trust in the person supplying information, personal and peer experience, and salience of information played important roles in youths’ assessments of drug‐related information exchanged with peers. Implications for improving community information dissemination strategies are discussed.