282095
Negative peer influences, parental support and substance use among Chinese adolescents
Tuesday, November 5, 2013
Hsing-Fang Hsieh, PhD,
Department of Health Behavior and Health Education, School of Public Health, University of Michigan, ANN ARBOR, MI
Background The influence of family factors on adolescent psychological well-being and problem behavior (e.g. delinquency, smoking and alcohol use) may be particularly salient for Chinese youth. The current study examines the effects of negative peer influence on internalizing outcomes and externalizing outcomes. Drawing on the resilience theory, this study also tested whether parental support can counteract (compensatory effect) or moderate (protective effect) the effect of risks for predicting adolescent problem behaviors. Methods A cross-sectional survey using self-reported questionnaires was conducted in two urban cities in China: Beijing and Xian. Participants in the study include 1356 students in grades 7 to 12 from middle and high schools. Structural equation modeling (SEM) analyses were conducted to test the conceptual models. Results Negative peer influence increases Chinese adolescents' delinquent behaviors and substance use, and has also indirectly increased problem behaviors through increasing mental distress. More parental support was associated with less substance use. The association between psychological distress and substance use became non-significant for adolescents with high parental support compared to adolescents with low parental support. Yet, the relationship between negative peer influence and psychological distress was stronger among adolescents who reported higher parental support. Conclusions The findings suggest that parental support and peer behaviors exert significant influences on substance use among Chinese adolescents. The study suggests that parental support serves as a promotive factor with a compensatory effect for Chinese youth. Parental support may also serve as a protective, modifying factor for the relationship between psychological distress and substance use.
Learning Areas:
Advocacy for health and health education
Planning of health education strategies, interventions, and programs
Public health or related education
Public health or related research
Social and behavioral sciences
Learning Objectives:
Assess the effect of negative peer influence and parental support on delinquency, alcohol and tobacco use among Chinese adolescents.
Explain the mechanisms how parental support may compensate or buffer the risk effects on adolescent delinquency and substance use.
Evaluate conceptual models based on the resilience perspective under the Chinese contexts.
Keyword(s): Adolescents, International, Alcohol Use
Presenting author's disclosure statement:Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I have been working and learning as a PhD student in the University of Michigan with a principal investigator, Marc Zimmerman, of multiple federally funded grants focusing on preventing substance use and violence among adolescents. One of the projects I have been working on is Flint Adolescent Study, funded by National Institute on drug abuse. My dissertation study examined the conceptual models for risk and promotive factors that related to adolescent problem behaviors.
Any relevant financial relationships? No
I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines,
and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed
in my presentation.
