| Substance use among adolescent girls in the United States is increasing. In some regions substance use by rural adolescent girls exceeds that of its urban and suburban counterparts. The purpose of this study is to investigate the adequacy of constructs within Catalano, Hawkins, and the Social Development Research Group's (1996) social development model (SDM) as an empirical-based model pertaining to early adolescent girls' pathways to substance use by examining school, community, and individual risk and protective factors. Risk factors are defined as those traits, variables, or vulnerabilities that, if present for a particular individual, increase the likelihood of those individual using drugs. Protective factors are defined as factors that reduce the likelihood of drug use either directly or by mediating, or moderating the effect of exposure to risk factors. Constructs from the SDM are examined using structural equation modeling. The study also sought to extend current research by explaining how related variables found in urban and suburban community's impact rural environments. Data were obtained from the Prevention Needs Assessment Survey (2009) state data results conducted by Pride Surveys. |
