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Cited by 295Substance Abuse Treatment and OutcomesYouth, Drugs, and ViolenceAdolescent Health and Behaviors

A cross-national comparison of risk and protective factors for adolescent substance use: the United States and Australia

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Beyers, Jennifer M, Toumbourou, John W, Catalano, Richard F, Arthur, Michael W, Hawkins, J.David·2004·Journal of Adolescent Health
DOI 10.1016/j.jadohealth.2003.08.015
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Abstract

PURPOSE To compare risk and protective factors that influence youth substance use in Australia and the United States. The two countries have different policy orientations toward substance use: Australia has adopted harm-reduction policies, and the United States has adopted abstinence-focused policies. METHODS Cross-sectional survey data were collected from independent samples of adolescents in the states of Maine (N = 16,861; 53% female, 7% Non-white) and Oregon (N = 15,542; 51% female, 24% Non-white) in the United States and Victoria in Australia (N = 8442; 54% Female, 11% Non-white) in 1998 (Maine and Oregon) and 1999 (Victoria). Chi-square tests, t-tests, effect size comparisons, and logistic regression analyses that accounted for age and gender were used to investigate cross-national similarities and differences in: (a) rates of cigarette, alcohol, and marijuana use; (b) levels of risk and protective factors; and (c) magnitudes of associations between risk and protective factors and substance use. RESULTS More adolescents in Victoria reported using cigarettes and alcohol, whereas more of the U.S. adolescents reported using marijuana. Exposure to risk and protective factors was generally similar in the cross-national samples. However, adolescents in Maine and Oregon perceived handguns to be more readily available, reported more participation in religious activities, and were higher in sensation-seeking and social skills; and adolescents in Victoria had more favorable attitudes toward drug use and reported community norms and parental attitudes more favorable to drug use. Most of the risk and protective factors were strongly associated with substance use to a similar degree in Victoria, Maine, and Oregon. However, among adolescents in Maine and Oregon peer/individual risk and protective factors associated with social detachment were more strongly related to substance use, and among adolescents in Victoria, family protective factors were less strongly related to alcohol use. CONCLUSIONS Inter-country influences on youth substance use are generally similar despite different policy directions. Existing differences suggest that the abstinence policy context is associated with higher levels of illicit drug use and stronger relations between individual indicators of social detachment and substance use, whereas the harm reduction policy context is related to more cigarette and alcohol use, possibly from exposure to normative influences that are more tolerant of youth drug use.

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  • Of the 112 best drug use or abuse studies, 96 (86%) reported inverse relationships and only one study found a positive relationship.

    “Of the 112 best studies, 96 (86%) reported inverse relationships [223–238] and only one study found a positive relationship [239].”

    From Religion, Spirituality, and Health: The Research and Clinical Implications (2012) · cites this paper as [228]

  • Religious scriptures in other faith traditions also emphasize the person's responsibility to care for and nourish their physical body.

    “Religious scriptures in other faith traditions also emphasize the person's responsibility to care for and nourish their physical body [282–284].”

    From Religion, Spirituality, and Health: The Research and Clinical Implications (2012) · cites this paper as [283]

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Authors
Beyers, J. M., Toumbourou, J. W., Catalano, R. F., Arthur, M. W., & Hawkins, J. D.
Affiliations
  • University of Washington (US)
  • The University of Melbourne (AU)
Corresponding author
Beyers, Jennifer M
ORCID
Toumbourou, John W
Venue
Journal of Adolescent Health
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2004-07
Volume
35
Issue
1
Pages
3-16
ISSN
1054-139X (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.1016/j.jadohealth.2003.08.015
OpenAlex
W4243635925
Semantic Scholar
2269af470ae721762933b1a918f7d46576775809
Cited by
295
References
31
Citations by year
2026: 2 · 2025: 2 · 2024: 9 · 2023: 8 · 2022: 11 · 2021: 10 · 2020: 15 · 2019: 15 · 2018: 19 · 2017: 8 · 2016: 18 · 2015: 23 · 2014: 19 · 2013: 16 · 2012: 23
FWCI
7.46
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • Journal of Adolescent Health (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Figshare (submittedVersion, cc-by)
Funders
National Institute on Drug Abuse (DA10768, R01DA010768, R01DA012140, DA-12140)
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Epidemiology › Substance Abuse Treatment and Outcomes
  • Social Sciences › Demography › Youth, Drugs, and Violence
  • Health Sciences › Health Professions › General Health Professions › Adolescent Health and Behaviors
Keywords
adolescent substance use, risk factors, protective factors, cross-national comparison, harm reduction policy, cigarette smoking, alcohol consumption, cannabis use, religious activities, sensation seeking, social skills, social detachment, community norms, parental attitudes, attitudes toward drugs, United States, Australia
MeSH terms
Adolescent, Adolescent Behavior, Child, Cross-Sectional Studies, Cross-Cultural Comparison, Drug and Narcotic Control, Female, Health Surveys, Humans, Maine, Male, Oregon, Parent-Child Relations, Peer Group, Risk Factors, Social Environment, Victoria, Health Behavior, Logistic Models, Age Distribution, Sex Distribution, Substance-Related Disorders

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