Relationship Between School Related Factors and Substance Use Behaviors Among Middle School Students

Substance use behavior is well documented among adolescents, but less is known about the role of school related factors such as school satisfaction, GPA, and type of schooling (i.e., homeschooling, traditional schooling) on substance use especially among middle school students. As such, the purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between school satisfaction, GPA, and type of schooling on substance use behavior among middle school students. A total of 14,703 students in grades 6,7,8th completed the National Survey on Drug Use and Health in 2007. Results of this study found that students who were not satisfied with school were significantly more likely to have used cigarettes, alcohol, and marijuana (ever, past year, past month). No significant differences were found for smokeless tobacco use, cocaine use or methamphetamine use. Students who reported grades of “A” or “B” were significantly less likely to have used cigarettes (ever, past year, past month), smokeless tobacco (ever, past year), alcohol (ever, past year, past month) and marijuana (ever, past year, past month) compared to those students who report grades of “C” “D” or “F.” Lastly, those students who were enrolled in a traditional school were significantly more likely to have used smokeless tobacco (ever, past year, past month) compared to traditional schooled students. Students who were homeschooled were significantly more likely to have used marijuana (ever, past year, past month). This study will also address the implications of the results and the need for future research in this area.