Community’s Role and School’s Role in Protecting against Student Substance Use: A Spatial Analysis

Abstract

Employing school catchment areas (SCAs) to represent communities in Alabama, this study hypothesized that student substance use would be most prevalent where structural disadvantages were most numerous and school-and community-bestowed encouragement of or rewards for students' prosocial behaviors were scant. We employed data from the 2000 census and a secondary data set produced by the Alabama Department of Mental Health. Overall, we observed significant, strong effects on student substance use wielded by the community's and school's protective roles. Our results confirmed location as an explanatory factor, in that substance use in one community affected substance use in neighboring communities.

Substance use amongst secondary school students in a rural setting in South Africa: Prevalence and possible contributing factors

“…Children may also not be exposed to other cultural, economic, media and modernisation factors that encourage such behaviours. 12 , 16 The low prevalence rate amongst the learners may also be influenced by the knowledge that substance abuse is dangerous to the health, as is revealed in this study. However, what has been said above contradicts the 2014 USA National Institute on Drugs survey, which demonstrated a high rate of e-cigarette use and easing attitudes towards some types of drug use, particularly a decrease in perceived harm and the disapproval of marijuana use amongst teenagers.…”

“… 12 Also, this finding concurs with Lo et al, who observed the significantly strong effects of the protective roles of communities and schools on student substance use. 16 Hence, the low prevalence rate in rural schools in Limpopo Province may be due to the traditional African values regarding substance abuse, especially by young people, as an indicator of a lack of proper upbringing of the child by his or her parents. The values also classify a substance user as a bad, unmannered and uncultured person.…”

Substance abuse among high school learners in a rural education district in the Free State province, South Africa

“… 36 These findings highlight the need for comprehensive interventions to influence the comprehensive well-being of young people, especially among young learners. Such interventions also need a community component, 37 , 38 which is likely to improve the effectiveness of substance use prevention amongst learners, and thus improve the overall well-being of these young people.…”

Neighborhood Disorganization, Social Support, Substance Use and Functioning amongst Adolescents; an Analysis of the Ohio Behavioral Health Juvenile Justice Initiative

“…Neighborhood attachment, community pro-social activities and laws that are enforced that set clear boundaries and expectations for youth can decrease one's risk of substance use even in the presence of more neighborhood disorder Lo, Webar & Cheng (2015). The purpose of this study is to explore changes in attitudes, behavior and lifestyles orientations of American youth.…”