This study investigates the effects of parental knowledge for peer network and peer influence on adolescent substance use. Analyses were conducted by using the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health dataset, being collected between 1994 and 1996. For the purpose of the present study, a supplemental sample of datasets (N = 2,841), including European American, African American, and Asian American adolescents, were used. Regarding the supplemental sample that was being used in the present study, the average age of participants was 15 years old (SD = 1.56) and the sample was evenly distributed between males (50%) and females (50%). In this study, two hypotheses were being tested: 1) parental knowledge of peer networks predicts adolescent substance use, and 2) peer adolescent substance use predicts adolescent substance use. The results of this study showed that there was a direct influence of peer substance use on adolescent substance use, which suggests that adolescents who reported that their friends used more substances were at increased risks of using more substances themselves. This result is consistent with previous findings. On the contrary, there were no significant findings in the relationship between parental knowledge for peer networks and adolescent substance uses. Additional analyses were conducted to investigate ethnic differences. Some interesting differences between European American and African American adolescents were also identified. The findings suggest that peer adolescent use is less related to adolescent substance use for African American adolescents when compared with European American adolescents. Based on these findings, this paper discusses suggestions related to adolescent substance use preventions and intervention programs, together with ethnic differences in parent and peer influence on adolescent uses, and later, suggests future directions.
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