Accuracy of Homeless Youth's Perceptions of Drug Use Among Their Peers: A Multi Level Analyses
Methods: Event Based Approach (EBA) was used to delineate the boundary of the sociometric-network of homeless-youth, who were all accessing services at two drop-in centers in Los-Angeles, CA and Santa-Monica, CA (n=377) between 2011 and 2012. Hierarchical-linear-modeling was utilized to investigate participant-level, network structural-level, and relationship-level factors with youths’ accuracy or inaccuracy of their perceptions.
Results: The accuracy of perceptions was high (between 70-90%depending on the substance). We found a strong relationship between the reported behavior of egos and their reports of their alters’ behavior for injection drug use, marijuana, methamphetamine, cocaine, heroin, and prescription drug use (OR=45.68, 95% CI=16.54-126.12; OR=37.09, 95% CI=12.01-114.53; OR=17.98, 95%CI=8.72-37.07; OR=47.49, 95% CI=19.09-118.15; OR=625.97, 95% CI=77.40-5062.32; OR=7.95, 95%CI=4.935-12.833, respectively). The individual and network level factors associated with accuracy or inaccuracy varied by substance. Homophile in gender was associated with better accuracy about methamphetamine-use (OR=1.71, 95% CI=1.08-2.71). Network members’ out-degree centrality was associated with less accuracy about methamphetamine-use (OR=0.84; 95% CI=0.75-0.93). Participants occupying more central position in the networks were more likely to respond accurately about their alters’ heroin use (OR=1.58, 95% CI=1.14-2.19; OR=1.31, 95% CI=1.05-1.64).
Conclusion: These results suggest that there is a high level of accuracy in youth’s perceptions of their peers’ behavior. The findings also suggest that these perceptions tend to be more accurate if they are using the same substance. Also, there are relationship and network level factors that affect the accuracy of these perceptions. Furthermore, these results have implications for intervention design. Interventions designed to change norms have tended to assume that perceptions about drug use-are inaccurate and target these misperceptions. This might not necessarily be the most effective strategy in the light of these results.