Drug use among young adults: The impacts of role status and social environment.

Using panel analyses, the authors examined drug use during the 1st 3 yrs following high school (HS), a period during which many young people make important transitions in social environments, primary activity, and marital status. Drug use after HS was highly predictable from senior-year drug use; however, usage rates for alcohol, marihuana, and other illicit drugs (but not cigarettes) also seemed to be influenced by post-HS living arrangements. More specifically, those who continued to live with their parents showed little or no change in their drug use. Among those who moved out of the parental home, Ss who married showed a decrease in use, those living with a partner of the opposite sex showed some increase in drug use, and those who entered other living arrangements (including dormitories) also showed an increase in use. These relations were largely unaffected by the inclusion of student status, employment status, and other predictor dimensions. (30 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)