Problem-prone behaviors of White American, Mexican American, and American Indian high school dropouts, students in good academic standing, and students in poor academic standing were surveyed. Generally, dropouts were most involved with drugs, perpetration of violence, and victimization by violence, students in poor standing were the next most involved, and students in good standing were least involved. Ethnicity did not interact with academic status, suggesting that differences between dropouts and students were similar across ethnic groups. Some ethnicity and gender main effects were found. Findings were related to R. lessor's (1991) theory of problem-prone behaviors, to peer cluster theory, and to intervention design.

This paper examines the links between various personal and social risk factors and drug use among youth living in rural communities. Data were collected through self-report surveys administered to 1,656 7thand 8th-grade students and 1,205 llth-and 12th-grade students in 9 rural communities with populations ranging from 451 to 18,400. Surveys included the American Drug and Alcohol Survey (a drug use survey) and the Prevention Planning Survey, which measures a wide range of characteristics linked to adolescent drug use. Students were assigned to three groups-high, moderate, and no drug use-based on current level and type of drug use, and the prevalence of various risk and protective factors was examined for each group. A discussion of peer cluster theory focuses on the basic premise of adolescent drug use as a group activity that takes place in small peer clusters with group norms for drug use. Variables analyzed include drug use of friends, peer encouragement to use or avoid drugs, school adjustment, school adjustment of peers, participation in formal school or community activities, family stability and support, family sanctions against drugs and communication about drug dangers, family involvement in school activities, depression, low self-esteem, anger, need for excitement and risk taking, delinquency, violent behavior, and victimization. (Contains 102 references and 14 figures.) (SV) Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document.

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This experiment examines gender and ethnic differences in adolescent responses to TV beer advertising in sports and entertainment programming, as well as the relationship between such responses and present and planned alcohol use behavior. Female adolescents responded less positively than males to beer advertisements and to sports content of advertising, and more positively to nonbeer advertisements. However, positive responses to beer ads predicted alcohol use among female and male adolescents. No differences in response patterns to ads due to Latino ethnicity were found.