Do high-risk urban youth also have older friends?

Abstract

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to explore how behavioral, intrapersonal, and socio-environmental factors were associated with the likelihood of having at least one older friend.

Methods: Participants included 3,709 ethnically diverse eighth grade students in the Project Northland Chicago intervention trial. Socio-demographic characteristics included gender, family composition, language spoken at home, race/ethnicity, and age. Behavioral factors included cigarette, alcohol, and marijuana use, depressed feelings, willingness to wear alcohol-branded merchandise, and violent and delinquent behavior. Intrapersonal factors included low refusal self-efficacy, and outcome expectations and expectancies. Socio-environmental factors included alcohol offers and access, normative estimates and expectations, and peer alcohol use. Having an older friend was defined as having at least one friend aged 16 years or older (students' mean age = 14.2). Logistic mixed-effects regression models were used and controlled for gender, race/ethnicity, treatment status, and age.

Results: Adolescent girls and older eighth graders were significantly more likely to have at least one older friend. Students who scored higher on all the behavioral, intrapersonal, and socio-environmental risk factors were significantly more likely to have at least one older friend. Significant gender interactions were found for several of the relationships.

Conclusion: Overall, this study showed that multiple risk-related factors are associated with having older friends in eighth grade. Particularly important factors appear to be cigarette, marijuana and alcohol use, having friends who use alcohol, having increased alcohol offers, and being willing to wear or use alcohol-branded merchandise.