Why Do They Get High?: An Examination of Social Bond Theory and Substance Use in College

摘要

During one's young adult life while in college, how do social bonds affect substance use? This paper consists of a secondary analysis. This study examines social bond theory and its components' (attachment, commitment, involvement, belief) effects on the level of substance use among college students. The main research goal is to explore if drug use in young adults is affected by: 1) ties to significant others such as family, 2) commitment to a conventional activity (school, having employment), 3) involvement in extracurricular activities, and 4) belief in a conventional set of values. The data used for this study was taken from the 2014 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH). For this study, I analyzed 6,780 respondents, who were all college students. Attachment affects binge drinking levels when one is attached to a spouse, but this does not affect cigarette or marijuana use, or regular alcohol use. College enrollment does not reduce substance abuse and the more hours one works in a week, the more they smoke. Religious beliefs have a negative effect on substance use, and those who use a substance at a young age will have greater frequency of use in adulthood than those who did not use at an early age. Social bond theory is fairly valid in some components but is lacking in other areas such as attachment and involvement.