Peer Information and Substance Use Decision Making in Street‐Involved Youth

Macdonald, E.; Howard, Andrea L.

doi:10.1111/jora.12574

Cited by 5 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 33 publications

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“…The relationship between friends’ substance use and personal substance use is strong, 31 perceived substance use by peers may predict substance use initiation and greater use, 32 and information exchanged between peers is an important predictor of illicit substance use. 33 Conversely, strong parental support is considered a protective factor against substance use. Parental social support, particularly by mothers, may be key, and parental monitoring may moderate the relationship between peer influence and substance use.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effect of COVID-19 Lockdown on Substance Use Among Middle School and High School Students: A Natural Experiment

et al. 2022

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Objective: Research on COVID-19’s effect on substance use is mixed, and few studies have focused on adolescents. We assessed whether implementation of the COVID-19 lockdown affected substance use and changed perceptions of psychoactive substance availability in middle and high school students. Methods: We assessed self-reported use and perceived availability of alcohol, tobacco cigarettes, electronic cigarettes, marijuana, synthetic marijuana, nonprescribed prescription drugs, and illicit drugs (heroin, inhalants) among middle and high school respondents aged 11-18 years to the Rhode Island Student Survey (N = 17 751). An administrative pause because of COVID-19 lockdowns allowed us to divide results into surveys completed before (January through March 2020; n = 13 259) and after (November 2020 through May 2021; n = 4492) the lockdown implementation. We determined the effects of the COVID-19 lockdown using logistic regression models, adjusting for age, gender/sexual orientation, middle/high school level, and city/town classification. Results: After the COVID-19 lockdown implementation, the odds of respondents using psychoactive substances decreased, with the largest decreases occurring for prescription drugs (odds ratio [OR] = 0.39; 95% CI, 0.28-0.54) and inhalants (OR = 0.37; 95% CI, 0.26-0.53). The odds of respondents perceiving difficulties in obtaining psychoactive substances significantly increased after lockdown implementation, with the largest increases occurring for prescription drugs (OR = 1.53; 95% CI, 1.39-1.69) and illicit drugs (OR = 1.65; 95% CI, 1.44-1.88). Conclusions: COVID-19 lockdown implementation was associated with a decreased perception of availability of psychoactive substances and use of psychoactive substances. Decreases in substance use may be because of decreased perceived availability and increased parental support and oversight. Interventions that focus on parental oversight and strengthened policies to disrupt the licit and illicit drug markets are needed.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effect of COVID-19 Lockdown on Substance Use Among Middle School and High School Students: A Natural Experiment

et al. 2022

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“…Peer work has been found to enhance the advancement of programs and foster trust and communication, informing continuous improvement, advancing local adaptation, and promoting learning that helps navigate the challenges of complex interventions (Worton 2019). It increases engagement with program services, even over time, and increases trust through personal and peer experience (Deering et al 2011;Macdonald and Howard 2020). Such programs can lead to more satisfaction and acceptance of a given intervention (Kahan et al 2020).…”

Section: Lived Expertise and Meaningful Inclusion In Policymakingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Lived Expertise in Homelessness Policy and Governance

Kopec,

Smith

2024

Social Sciences

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Lived expertise (LE) is a valuable form of expertise that can lead to more effective policymaking. Existing research points to important mechanisms for where and how to include LE. It also offers lessons around the potential exclusionary effects such mechanisms may have. In this article, we bring the discussions together and ground them in the Canadian case of homelessness. Failures in Canadian homelessness governance and policy highlight the utility of LE where it has been included, but we also find that its prevalence is unknown. Recent mechanisms including LE are still limited and their influence is questioned. We insist that the inclusion of LE cannot be haphazard or merely a nod to its value. Rather, it requires careful and considerate inclusion that centers LE throughout the policy process, encourages its influence and innovation, and embeds mechanisms for its long-term involvement within governance structures.

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