School context and American Indian substance use

Abstract

The present study extends prior research exploring the role of school contextual factors in predicting individual adolescent substance use by examining how a school's racial composition is associated with American Indian adolescent tobacco and marijuana use. Using a subsample of 523 American Indian students from the restricted use Add Health data, we consider both individual and school contextual factors across 99 schools. Our results suggest that a school's racial composition is associated with individual tobacco and marijuana use among American Indian youth, but in different ways depending upon the substance. Our findings illustrate the importance of extending research on the correlates of substance use for racial and ethnic minorities beyond studies examining African-Americans and/or Hispanics.

Factors That Influence Substance Use Among American Indian/Alaskan Native Youth: A Systematic Mixed Studies Review

“…Several of the included studies showed the importance of school resources to protect AI/AN youth against substance misuse. Schools with more resources were seen to be concomitant with lower substance misuse among AI/AN youth (Eitle et al, 2017). The more the AI/AN youth were connected to the school by both in-school and after-school activities, including involvement with teachers, the more resilient against substance misuse they were.…”

“…School. Connectedness to school increased resilience against substance misuse (Eitle et al, 2017;Friese et al, 2015;Moon et al, 2014;Turanovic & Pratt, 2017). Positive school adjustment, highlighted by AI/AN youth's positive attitude regarding school, had increased resilience against substance misuse (Greenfield et al, 2017;Sittner, 2017).…”

“…The more the AI/AN youth were connected to the school by both in-school and after-school activities, including involvement with teachers, the more resilient against substance misuse they were. This is especially true when activities were culturally sensitive (Friese et al, 2015;Moilanen et al, 2014) and included substance misuse awareness (Eitle et al, 2017).…”

“…In fact, when AI/AN youth believed that their peers were using substance, and it was a normal part of adolescent development to use substances, they were 83% more likely to be currently using (p < .001, 95% CI [0.74, 0.92]; Stanley et al, 2017). Peer social norms can be expressed as peer influence or peer pressure, seen in many studies, reflecting a positive association with substance use and peer social norms that are positive toward substance use among AI/AN youth (Eitle et al, 2017;Eitle & McNulty Eitle, 2018;Hagler et al, 2017;Hautala & Sittner, 2018;Moon et al, 2014;Spillane et al, 2017;Stanley et al, 2017;Urbaeva et al, 2017;Whitesell et al, 2014). Racism, including in schools, decreases resilience to delaying initiation and misuse of substances (Garrett et al, 2017).…”

“…Racism, including in schools, decreases resilience to delaying initiation and misuse of substances (Garrett et al, 2017). Two studies found that exclusionary discipline practices, which are more often employed with minoritized youth, increase risk behaviors (Eitle et al, 2017;Sittner, 2015). These disciplinary practices can make youth feel less connected to school and increase feelings of stigmatization that could decrease resilience against substance misuse (Armenta, Sittner, & Whitbeck, 2016).…”