How Might Schools Influence Young People's Drug Use? Development of Theory From Qualitative Case-Study Research
Received 15 July 2008; accepted 29 December 2008. published online 24 March 2009.
Abstract
Purpose
To explore young people's experiences of school and drug use, generate hypotheses regarding the pathways through which schools may influence students’ drug use, and examine how these may vary according to students’ sociodemographic characteristics.
Methods
Qualitative data were collected through semistructured interviews with 30 students (aged 14–15) and 10 teachers in two case-study schools. Students were purposively sampled to encompass variations in socioeconomic status, gender, ethnicity, and school engagement. Techniques associated with thematic content analysis and grounded theory were used to analyze the data and generate hypotheses.
Results
Three potential pathways via which school effects on drug use may occur were identified: (1) peer-group sorting and drug use as a source of identity and bonding among students who are disconnected from the main institutional markers of status; (2) students’ desire to “fit in” at schools perceived to be unsafe and drug use facilitating this; and/or (3) drug use as a strategy to manage anxieties about school work and escape unhappiness at schools lacking effective social support systems.
Conclusions
Various pathways may plausibly underlie school effects on drug use. These support the idea of “whole-school” interventions to reduce drug use through: recognizing students’ varied achievements and promoting a sense of belonging, reducing bullying and aggression, and providing additional social support for students. Such interventions should be piloted and evaluated in a range of settings to examine effects on students’ drug use. Broader policies relating to secondary school targets, curricula, assessment, and streaming may also influence rates of adolescent drug use.
aThe Centre for Research on Drugs and Health Behaviour, Department of Public Health and Policy, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom
bSocial Science Research Unit, Faculty of Children and Health, Institute of Education, London, United Kingdom
Address correspondence to: Adam Fletcher, Ph.D., London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Keppel Street, London WC1E 7HT, UK.
ABSTRACT