Substance Use in West German Youth: A Longitudinal Study of Adolescents' Use of Alcohol and Tobacco

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Abstract
The present investigation examined the relationship between substance use and the adolescent's experiences with peers, family, and school. Subjects were two cohorts of normal adolescents (one in early and the other in middle adolescence) participating in the Berlin Youth Longitudinal Study in West Germany. Results of cross-sectional analyses indicated that involvement with deviant peers and perceptions of school failure were linked to greater substance use, particularly in early adolescence. Longitudinal analyses suggested that substance use led to increased contacts with deviant peers and perceptions of school failure one year later, but that substance use was not the result of deviant peer involvement or perceived school failure. Levels of substance use appeared to be stable by middle adolescence. It is argued that substance use is one means by which the adolescent can attain some sense of adult status.