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Author: Molbert, Courtney L.
Resulting in 1 citation.
1. Molbert, Courtney L.
The Influence of Peer Groups, Gangs, and Neighborhoods on Juvenile Delinquent Alcohol and Marijuana Use
Master's Thesis, Department of Criminal Justice, University of Louisiana at Lafayette, 2018
Cohort(s): NLSY97
Publisher: ProQuest Dissertations & Theses (PQDT)
Keyword(s): Alcohol Use; Delinquency/Gang Activity; Drug Use; Neighborhood Effects; Peers/Peer influence/Peer relations

Permission to reprint the abstract has not been received from the publisher.

The goal of this study was to determine which factors create the greatest likelihood for adolescent alcohol and marijuana use, and if certain influential relationships, such as gang membership and other peer relationships, mediate the effects of disadvantaged neighborhoods. Additionally, an attempt was made to determine if the immediate surroundings and relationships of adolescents work in a complementary fashion to influence one another. In the study, it was found that a socially disorganized neighborhood contributes, along with parental relations, to the selections an adolescent makes in choosing peers. It was also found that poor peer selection can lead to gang membership which would consequently increase the chances of alcohol and marijuana use. Using the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth of 1997 focusing on gangs and neighborhoods as influences to adolescent alcohol and marijuana use, it was discovered that various gang categories and having peers who use alcohol or marijuana correlated with increased adolescent alcohol and marijuana use. The explanation for these categories having such a significant impact on increased levels of adolescent substance use can be attributed to the impressionability and malleability of this transitioning age group, in an attempt to fit in with the peers they have chosen to associate with and a desire to indulge in new experiences.
Bibliography Citation
Molbert, Courtney L. The Influence of Peer Groups, Gangs, and Neighborhoods on Juvenile Delinquent Alcohol and Marijuana Use. Master's Thesis, Department of Criminal Justice, University of Louisiana at Lafayette, 2018.