Citation

Buckley LD, Sheehan MC, Chapman R. J. Drug Educ. 2009; 39(3): 289-301.

Affiliation

Centre for Accident Research and Road Safety--Queensland, Queensland University of Technology, Kelvin Grove, Australia. ld.buckley@qut.edu.au

Copyright

(Copyright © 2009, Baywood Publishing)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

20196333

Abstract

Typically adolescents' friends are considered a risk factor for adolescent engagement in risk-taking. This study took a more novel approach, by examining adolescent friendship as a protective factor. In particular it investigated friends' potential to intervene to reduce risk-taking. Five-hundred-forty adolescents (mean age 13.47 years) were asked about their intention to intervene to reduce friends' alcohol, drug and alcohol-related harms and about psychosocial factors potentially associated with intervening. More than half indicated that they would intervene in friends' alcohol, drug use, alcohol-related harms and interpersonal violence. Intervening was associated with being female, having friends engage in overall less risk-taking and having greater school connectedness. The findings provide an important understanding of increasing adolescent protective behavior as a potential strategy to reduce alcohol and drug related harms.

Language: en