Teenage peer networks in the community as sources of social problems: a sociological perspective

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Abstract
This chapter discusses how teenagers' peer networks which develop within their community are the source of their drug use. The social support of their teenage peers plays an important part in the normal psychosocial development of teenagers. Drug abuse has been recognised as a major social problem in many European countries and in the United States of America since 1970. In particular, the availability of social network analytic techniques highlights the inadequacy of using individual-level data to explore the concept of peer influence when peer relationship data are more appropriate. This chapter discusses the peer relationship data collected in a survey of the total population of teenagers. The survey demonstrated that peers influence the drug use of other teenagers. Ideally longitudinal data are needed to demonstrate the process of peer tie formation and change and its connection with the diffusion of drug use through peer ties.

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