Bridging Disciplinary Boundaries (January 11 - 14, 2007)

Theories of human development have emphasized the importance of the environment in which the person lives (Bronfenbrenner, 1979). The Search Institute (2006) has applied this ecological perspective to adolescent life and has developed a framework of risk and protective factors inside the adolescent and inside the adolescent's environment. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between some of these environmental factors and adolescent substance use, which is one of the frequently found negative outcomes in the adolescent stage of development. This study was based on secondary data analysis. The data were collected by Florida's Department of Children and Families in collaboration with the Channing-Bete Company and Florida's school systems. The sample included 61,824 adolescents nested in 60 counties. The adolescents in the sample participated in a statewide survey of attitudes and behaviors. The dependent variables were dichotomous representations of alcohol use, cigarette use, and marijuana use. Independent variables on the individual level consisted of adolescent perceptions of morality of substance use, risk of substance use, access to substance, adult neighbors' attitudes toward the substance, parental attitudes toward the substance, and sibling use of the substance. Independent variables on the county level consisted of the percents of adolescents in the county perceiving easy access to the substance, presence of adults who are available to adolescents who want to talk, presence of a Boys & Girls club, and presence of a high number of abandoned buildings in the community. Hierarchical linear analysis was used to assess the effects of both individual and county level variables on substance use. Hierarchical linear analysis was conducted for each of the three dependent variables: alcohol use, cigarette use, and marijuana use. The county level variables explained 67.8% of the variance in the odds of alcohol use, 79.4% of the variance in the odds of cigarette use, and 82.7% of the variance in the odds of marijuana use. In each of the three models, the majority of the variance explained can be attributed to the variables representing adolescent perception of easy access to the substance. This study supports the idea that the broader environment can play a role in an adolescent's use of alcohol, cigarettes, and marijuana. Social work research and practice often focus on the demand side of substance use. However, this study reveals the impact of perceived ease of access to the substance in the adolescent's environment. This variable may point to the relevance of county level supply of the substance and community level interventions that restrict the supply. Policies that restrict access to alcohol, cigarettes, and marijuana should be more closely examined for their impacts on adolescent substance use.