Control or Conviction: Religion and Adolescent Initiation of Marijuana Use

Abstract

Much research on adolescent deviance has supported a theory of social control, asserting that the lack of ties to institutions (such as school and parents) increases an adolescent's likelihood of using illicit substances. Researchers in this tradition often posit religion as one among many sources of norm enforcement. Yet religion may impact adolescents' behavior more directly through its ability to create beliefs and identities that are incompatible with illegal substance use. This paper uses a nationally representative, longitudinal data set of adolescents, the National Study of Youth and Religion, to examine the influence of traditional measures of social control, religious social control, and a new measure of religious salience on the probability of adolescents' first marijuana use. Results demonstrate that religious salience is more predictive of this initiation than are measures of involvement with religious organizations and several common social control indicators. We also find substantial interactions between different forms of religiosity. In the conclusion, we consider broader implications for understanding religion's influence on deviance.

Religiosity and Adolescent Substance Use: Evidence From the National Survey on Drug Use and Health

“…These patterns are generally consistent with previous studies of adolescent tobacco use (e.g., Bahr & Hoffmann, 2008;Wallace et al, 2003;Wallace et al, 2007), heavy drinking (e.g., Adamczyk & Palmer, 2008;Bahr & Hoffmann, 2008;Wallace & Forman, 1998), marijuana use (e.g., Jeynes, 2006;Longest & Vaisey, 2008;Nonnemaker et al, 2003), and other illicit drug use (e.g., Bartkowski & Xu, 2007). To the best of our knowledge, we are among the first to consider the association between religiosity and prescription drug misuse.…”

“…As key elements of social control, behavioral monitoring and social sanctions function to reinforce specific moral directives and general religious principles that favor abstinence (Adamczyk & Palmer, 2008;Amoateng & Bahr, 1986;Bahr & Hoffmann, 2008;Benda, 1995;Burkett, 1977;Burkett & Warren, 1987;Cochran et al, 1994;Gorsuch, 1995;Longest & Vaisey, 2008;Nasim et al, 2006;Steinman & Zimmerman, 2004). Research suggests that involvement in religious institutions and communities is associated with increased monitoring (by parents, elders, and peers) of counter-normative behavior (Sherkat & Wilson, 1995;Smith, 2003aSmith, , 2003b.…”

“…It has been suggested in the literature that religiosity may discourage substance use by exposing adolescents to co-religionist peers and adults who espouse antisubstance use norms and, presumably, exhibit low levels of substance use and high rates of abstinence (Amoateng & Bahr, 1986;Bahr, Maughan, Marcos, & Li, 1998;Burkett & Warren, 1987;Gorsuch, 1995;Hardesty & Kirby, 1995;Jang et al, 2008;Longest & Vaisey, 2008). Through the process of "peer selection," religious adolescents are often embedded in antisubstance use networks that are defined by models of moderation and abstinence (e.g., pastors, youth leaders, and other role models).…”

“…Within this unique social environment, religious adolescents tend to have less access to substances and fewer opportunities to learn to use substances (Gorsuch, 1995;Hill et al, 2009). Prior investigations suggest that peer substance use is one of the strongest risk factors for substance use in adolescence (Adamczyk & Palmer, 2008;Bahr & Hoffmann, 2008;Bahr, Marcos, & Maughan, 1995;Hawkins, Catalano, & Miller, 1992;Khavari, 1993;Longest & Vaisey, 2008), and there is evidence to suggest that religiosity in adolescence is associated with lower levels of peer drug use (Bahr et al, 1998;Barrett, Simpson, & Lehman, 1988;Hardesty & Kirby, 1995). For example, in their study of 475 high school students selected from a Midwestern city, Hardesty and Kirby (1995) report that family religiousness (a multi-item index of family religious activities) is associated with lower peer usage of beer, distilled alcohol, marijuana, cocaine, crack, and amphetamines.…”

“…Numerous studies have examined this relationship (see Hill, Burdette, Weiss, & Chitwood, 2009 for a recent review). Not surprisingly, research shows that religiosity is associated with lower rates of tobacco smoking (life-time prevalence and 30-day incidence), heavy drinking, and illicit drug use (e.g., Adamczyk & Palmer, 2008;Bahr & Hoffmann, 2008;Bartkowski & Xu, 2007;Benda, 1995;Benda, Pope, & Kelleher, 2006;Hoffmann & Bahr, 2010;Jang, Bader, & Johnson, 2008;Jang & Johnson, 2001;Jeynes, 2006;Longest & Vaisey, 2008;Nonnemaker, McNeely, & Blum, 2003;Nonnemaker, McNeely, & Blum, 2006;Regnerus & Elder, 2003;Rote & Starks, 2010;Steinman & Zimmerman, 2004;Wallace & Forman, 1998;Wallace et al, 2007;Wallace, Brown, Bachman, & Laveist, 2003;Yarnold, 1998).…”