‘If drugs does that to you, then I don't want it.’ Resiliency among non-marijuana using adolescents

Abstract

The current study utilizes an asset-based approach to examine inner-city African-American and Latino adolescent non-marijuana use. Interview findings suggest that the common theme in adolescent narratives is why they avoid marijuana use. Specifically, adolescents formulate several reasons situated in their perceptions of self, peers, and parents to avoid marijuana use. Drawing on resiliency theory and to broaden our scope of inquiry, we utilize these findings to further delve into the relationship between perceptions of self, peer communication, parental monitoring, and marijuana use avoidance utilizing survey data analysis. Findings can be used to leverage prevention programs with this population. ARTICLE HISTORY

Is there room for resilience? A scoping review and critique of substance use literature and its utilization of the concept of resilience

“… [ 96 ] Fadardi et al, 2010; ( n = 120); Iran • University students (mean age 21.5) Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC) Resilience is defined as the ability to resist stress and bounce back to normal homeostasis state (Werner, 1986; 2004). [ 121 ] Gilliard-Matthews et al, 2016; ( n = 309); US • Inner-city African-American and Latino adolescents (13–20 years) Resiliency theory argues that protective factors in an individual’s social and physical environment aid in their overcoming adverse situations (Egeland, Carlson, and Sroufe 1993; Kaplan et al 1996). The resiliency process is a complex interconnected system of risks, assets, and resources (Ostaszewski and Zimmerman 2006).…”

“…One unique, drug-specific internal factor considered is ‘attitudes about drug use’, which focuses on such elements as: fear of consequences of drug use (i.e. health problems, parental disapproval), belief that drugs will interfere with one’s future goals, anti-drug personal norms, and no interest in drug use [ 82 , 112 , 117 , 119 , 121 , 123 , 141 ].…”

“…Numerous studies on substance use utilize the term ‘resiliency’, often interchangeably with ‘resilience’ (e.g., [ 76 , 82 , 100 – 102 , 109 , 111 , 112 , 119 , 121 , 124 , 129 , 130 , 141 – 143 , 146 – 155 ]. This inconsistent use of terminology occurs in spite of multiple warnings from long-time resilience researchers, that choosing ‘resiliency’ terminology suggests an intrinsic quality of the person rather than the achievement of positive outcomes based on various levels and interactions of protective factors and resources [ 23 , 24 , 132 ].…”

“…Many studies in the reviewed works employ a simple approach, where the presence of resilience is judged by one single outcome measure: the absence of substance use or abuse (e.g., [ 82 , 96 , 98 , 104 , 105 , 109 , 112 , 118 , 119 , 121 , 123 , 130 , 140 , 147 , 151 , 152 , 155 , 157 , 158 ]). Resilience here is understood as the capacity to avoid or withstand using drugs, and consequently PWUD are depicted as non-resilient, again giving rise to problematic dichotomies.…”

Alcohol, tobacco and drug use among adults experiencing homelessness in Accra, Ghana: A cross-sectional study of risk levels and associated factors

“…Resilience factors such as self-esteem [55][56][57], intellectual ability [58][59][60][61], religiosity/spirituality [55,62], and personal skills [55,63,64] may account for the non-use. Individual's attitudes about substance use including fear of consequences (health, social, legal), personal and family norms, and lack of interest may also explain their non-use [65][66][67]. Future research should focus on non-engagement in substance use and associated factors among people who experience homelessness.…”