| One of the most robust findings in the areas of drug use is the link between peer use and self reported use of cigarettes, alcohol, and marijuana (Fisher and Bauman, 1988; Elliott et al., 1985; Kandel, 1985). There are two model processes that can account for similar levels of use among peers. Peer socialization refers to a process in which individuals initiate or change the pattern of use in response to group pressures or norms. Conversely, peer selection occurs when individuals select friends whose existing levels of use are similar to their own. Although previous research has shown support for each process, a plausible explanation may be traced to the failure to recognize that these processes may operate differently across individuals. That is, individual level characteristics may interact with each process in heightening or attenuating its effect.;This research considers how individual differences in sensation seeking and peer rejection, which have been linked to substance use, may affect these processes. In drawing on an accelerated panel design of adolescents followed between 7th and 10th grades, this study has two primary aims. First, the selection and socialization effects were tested within a latent growth model predicting changes in the amount of cigarette smoking and the acquisition of new friends that smoke. Direct comparisons within levels of peer rejection and sensation seeking offered insight into how these processes vary by levels of individual differences. The second aim focused exclusively on the socialization process, given that the literature tends to most consistently support this effect. In this portion of the research, pairs of adolescent friends were classified as either similar or different on each individual difference variable. Then, analyses examined which pattern of influence (e.g. the high sensation seeker influencing the low versus the low influencing the high) was strongest. In short, this research adds to a substantial void in the peer influence literature by incorporating how individual differences affect the transmission of substance use behaviors among peers. |
