A Comparison of the Drug Use and Protective Factors of Rural and Urban Students

Abstract

Based on data from the Communities that Care Youth Survey (CCYS), the authors compare the relationships between the drug use and protective factors of rural and urban students in grades 6, 8, 10, and 12. The authors used a rural/urban index that classifies zip codes into ten categories with percentage urban/rural. Only the 2 extreme categories (those zip codes that are 90% or more rural versus 90% or more urban) were used. Findings indicated urban and rural students are similar in terms of drug use. Rural students had higher rates of alcohol use in all grades. Rural youth had higher protective factor scores.