Linking Life Skills and Norms with adolescent substance use and delinquency in South Africa
Loading...
Date
2013
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
National Institute of Health
Abstract
We examined factors targeted in two popular prevention approaches with adolescent drug use and
delinquency in South Africa. We hypothesized adolescent life skills to be inversely related, and
perceived norms to be directly related to later drug use and delinquency. Multiple regression and a
relative weights approach were conducted for each outcome using a sample of 714 South African
adolescents ages 15 to 19 years (M = 15.8 years, 57% female). Perceived norms predicted gateway
drug use. Conflict resolution skills (inversely) and perceived peer acceptability (directly) predicted
harder drug use and delinquency. The “culture of violence” within some South African schools
may make conflict resolution skills more salient for preventing harder drug use and delinquency.
Description
Keywords
Linking life skills, Adolescents, Substance use, Delinquency, South Africa
Citation
Lai, M. H. et al. (2013). Linking Life Skills and Norms with adolescent substance use and delinquency in South Africa. Journal of Research on Adolescence, 23 (1): 128–137