Indicator: 73 - Factors Promoting Drug Abuse

Why This Is Important

Social research has identified numerous interrelated factors (for example, school, family or peer variables) that affect the probability of alcohol, tobacco, and other drug use and related problems among youths. These risk and protective factors include contextual factors such as community laws and norms favorable to drug use, drug availability, economic deprivation, and neighborhood disorganization. The more available drugs are in a community, the higher the risk that young people will use or abuse those substances. Community attitudes about the use of drugs are conveyed through both formal means (such as laws, taxes, licensing requirements and regulations) and informal means. Laws and norms can influence both prevalence of substance use and attitudes about the use of substances and related problems among youths.

*In the 2000 analysis, the two transition/mobility questions were combined, with 37% of the sampled students at risk.
**In the 1998/1999 analysis, the drugs and handguns questions were combined; 47% of students were at risk on that dimension.

Where We Stand

The figures in the above chart are based on the Maine Youth Drug and Alcohol Use Surveys conducted in 1998/1999 and 2000. The percentage of students statewide who reported each of the risk factors in grades 6, 8, 10 and 12 was computed, then those four percentages were averaged for each year. In general, older students tend to be more at risk on the various factors than younger students, though the difference among classes was smaller in the 2000 survey. For most risk factors, the percentages of students at risk were noticeably higher in 2000 than in 1998/1999. This may reflect real changes between the two surveys, or it may be due in part to (1) the fact that the schools participating in the two years were not identical, or (2) the fact that survey methods differed in the two years (for example, in 1998/1999 students' parents had to approve their participation in writing, while in 2000 students took part unless their parents specifically asked for them not to).

Data Sources and Context

The Maine Office of Substance Abuse, Department of Behavioral and Developmental Services, has conducted the Maine Youth Drug and Alcohol Use Survey (MYDAUS) periodically since 1988. The 1998/1999 Survey was administered to over 22,000 Maine students in 212 schools across all counties of the state, which was about 18% of all students in grades 6 through 12. The 2000 Survey included over 30,000 students from 180 schools (about 31% of all students in those grades). The Surveys did not use random samples of schools, so the data collected was not representative of all schools in the state, just those whose students completed the Surveys. Because of varying methodologies, ability to compare the 1998/1999 data with data from previous surveys is limited. MYDAUS data is available on-line at http://www.state.me.us/bds/osa/ostats.htm.