| This study investigated psychosocial predictors of adolescent substance use by examining the hypothesized effects of individual characteristics (participants' use of substances, delinquency, and academic achievement), peer factors (peer substance use and delinquency), and family factors (parental, sibling, and extended family substance use, as well as parental monitoring) on substance use among 254 adolescents sampled from an at-risk multicultural population in Hawai'i.;The results showed substance use prevalence rates in the current sample were comparable to those found in other studies in Hawai'i. There were no significant differences between boys' and girls' use of substances except for cigarettes, with boys having higher use than girls. Similar to previous findings, Caucasians and Hawaiians had the highest rates of substance use, followed by Filipinos. Japanese had significantly lower rates of substance use.;Results of multiple regression analyses showed that parent, peer, sibling, and extended family substance use (environmental use factors) accounted for a significant proportion of variance in adolescent use of cigarettes, alcohol, and marijuana for: (1) the total sample; (2) boys and girls; (3) Whites and Native Hawaiians; and (4) youth living with extended family members and youth not living with extended family members. Regression models including family and peer factors as well as four additional factors (adolescent delinquency, peer delinquency, parental monitoring, and academic achievement) accounted for a significant proportion of variance in adolescent substance use in the total sample. The four additional factors increased the model's R2 for alcohol, but not for cigarettes or marijuana. Individual factors that were significantly associated with adolescent substance use varied across sub-groups analyzed and across type of substance.;In general, these findings are consistent with those of previous empirical studies showing that peer, parental, and sibling substance use are important predictors of adolescent substance use. Furthermore, these results provide new evidence demonstrating the particular importance of extended family substance use in predicting adolescent substance use when youth live in the same home with extended family members. Taken together, the results of this study suggest the importance of substance use intervention programs that address substance use within an adolescent's social support system. |
