Employment, Peers, and Gender: Disentangling the Context of American Adolescent Substance Use

Disentangling the Contexts of Adolescent Substance Use: An Examination of Gender Differences

“…Furthermore, ecodevelopmental theory stipulates that each of these contexts can influence adolescent behavior, in both individual and combined manners. Central to this view is the recognition that each context has the potential for both positive and negative influence (Booth et al, 2021), and these effects can operate independent of one another and in combination (Blair and Dong, 2021). Researchers have called for greater study of how the various contextual factors may influence substance use among adolescents (Zimmerman and Farrell, 2017).…”

“…Smoking behaviors have a similar gendered divide, with females being more likely to both smoke traditional cigarettes and vape (Johnston et al, 2019). Researchers have noted that girls often smoke as a means of reducing stress, coping with lower levels of self-efficacy, and even as a means of losing weight (due to concerns about body image) (Blair and Dong, 2021). Interestingly, marijuana usage rates among adolescents have increased somewhat over recent years, with adolescent girls being shown to have slightly higher usage rates than boys (Bhatia et al, 2023).…”

“…Among adolescent boys, though, marijuana use is generally accepted as appropriate (Farrell et al, 2017). Within the context of peers, gendered norms and expectations regarding substance use are clearly complicated, dynamic, and can be quite influential (Dong and Blair, 2021).…”

“…By midadolescence, youth find themselves spending more time in school, with time in classes becoming supplemented by time spent in a variety of after-school activities, such as sports and clubs (Ladis et al, 2021). Beyond these contexts, adolescents commonly take on paid employment, which requires their commitment of time and effort, but which also provides them with income, along with sustained contact with co-workers, customers, and the work environment (Blair and Dong, 2021). Within and across these various contexts, adolescence is also a time when youth partake of opportunities to engage in risk-taking behaviors, with substance use being of primary concern .…”

“…In preceding decades, it was estimated that almost 3,200 adolescents tried their first cigarette, each day (Kandel et al, 2004), but the smoking of traditional cigarettes has declined over that span, while the use of electronic cigarettes (vaping) has increased, with almost onefourth of all older adolescents doing so on a regular basis (Meich et al, 2019). Females are more likely to smoke, as compared to males (Blair and Dong, 2021;Johnston et al, 2019), with smoking often regarded as a means to reduce stress and anxiety (Richardson et al, 2011), as well as to gain peer acceptance and approval (Tomek et al, 1999). Although rates of substance use, overall, have been declining, marijuana use among adolescents has been increasing (Meich et al, 2019).…”