The Relationship between peer presure, internal versus external locus of control and adolescent substance use

Abstract

Substance use is a phenomenon beginning at young ages (Pagliaro & Pagliaro,1996). Peer pressure and locus of control are important issues in substance use. The aimof the present study was to determine frequency of substance use, and relationship between peer pressure, locus of control and substance use among the 10th gradestudents. The sample consisted of 678, 10th grade students, made up of 316 females(46.6%) and 362 (53.4%) males. For data collection, "Akran Baskısı Ölçegi" (Kıran, 2002), "Kontrol Odagı Ölçegi" (Dag, 2002), and "Substance Use Questionnaire" wereused. Findings showed that alcohol was the most frequently used substance (68.1%),followed by cigarettes (55.3%) and marijuana (5.5%). Gender difference was found onlyin alcohol use since males reported more alcohol use. Subjects who were older, and from high socioeconomic status schools reported more smoking, alcohol and substance use.Smoking and use of alcohol were reported to begin at younger ages, while substanceuse was reported to start at older ages. More than half of the users reported their first use to be related with their friends̕ use (56.9%), and curiosity was the first reason for substance use. Smokers, alcohol and substance users had more friends who smoked, used alcohol and substance. Smokers, alcohol, substance, polysubstance users, males, olderstudents, and high SES school subjects reported perception of higher peer pressure. Smokers, alcohol and substance, polysubstance users, older students, subjects from low SES schools had more external locus of control. No gender difference was found in locus of control. When subjects̕ peer pressure levels increased, their locus of control weretowards external. Relationships between peer pressure, locus of control, school SES,gender and age with smoking, substance and alcohol use were significant indicating that the higher the peer pressure is, the more is the use and abuse. Despite limitations like generalizability of findings, this study provided important data about frequency; relationships between peer pressure, locus of controland substance use that can be used in preparing all kinds of substance use prevention programs.