Adolescent Social Networks and Alcohol Use: Variability by Gender and Type

Abstract

Background Scientists have established that social networks influence adolescents’ substance use behavior, an influence that varies by gender. However, the role of gender in this mechanism of influence remains poorly understood. Particularly, the role an adolescent’s gender, alongside the gender composition of his/her network, plays in facilitating or constraining alcohol use is still unclear. Objectives This study examined the associations among the gender composition of adolescents’ networks, select network characteristics, intra-personal, inter-personal factors and alcohol use among a sample of adolescents in the US. Methods We assessed cross-sectional data from a 2010 study of 1,523 high school students from a school district in Los Angeles. Analyses of adolescents’ network characteristics were conducted using UCINET 6; logistic regression analyses testing the associations between gender composition of the network and alcohol use were conducted using SPSS 20. Results Our results indicate that the gender composition of adolescents’ networks is associated with alcohol use, in our sample. Adolescents in predominantly female or predominantly male friendship networks were less likely to report alcohol use compared to adolescents in an equal/balanced network. Additionally, depending upon the context/type of network, intrapersonal and interpersonal factors varied in their association with alcohol use. Conclusions/Importance Based on these findings, we make several recommendations for future research. We call for researchers to further examine gender as a risk factor for alcohol abuse, particularly within the complex interplay between gender and network contexts.

Self‐Perceptions, Normative Beliefs, and Substance Use Associated With High School Girls Comparing Themselves to Peers

“…Findings from this study align with prior work that found alcohol and tobacco consumption are related to increased social comparison scale scores 12 . Our results reinforce that high school girls' social relationships play a role in shaping their own alcohol use, 37 and illicit drug use behaviors 38 . Early adolescent normative perceptions among peers have also been related to heavy alcohol use during the high school years 39,40 …”

Beyond Sleep Duration: Bidirectional Associations Among Chronotype, Social Jetlag, and Drinking Behaviors in a Longitudinal Sample of US High School Students

“…Often the constraints on scheduled days are thought of in terms of structural demands, such as school or work start times [25,65], but in adolescence, increased academic and social engagement as well as lifestyle choices are likely to contribute to increased social jetlag [27]. Given that alcohol use is most often a social behavior [66,67] and is well documented to be influenced by peer behavior [68][69][70][71], it is possible that alcohol use in this study reflects a social influence on sleep behavior. Further research on possible social influences (e.g., changes in parental monitoring and peer norms and activities) on the alcohol-sleep relations is merited.…”

A survey of Big Data dimensions vs Social Networks analysis

“…More in detail, the role an adolescent’s gender, alongside the gender composition of his/her network, plays in teenager approach to alcohol use is far to be fully understood. A study reported in Jacobs et al ( 2017 ) investigated the associations among the gender composition of adolescents’ networks, select network characteristics, intra-personal, inter-personal factors and alcohol use for a sample of US adolescents. The authors performed cross-sectional data from a 2010 study of 1,523 high school students from a school district in Los Angeles.…”