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APHA Scientific Session and Event Listing

Hui Bian, MA, PhD, CHES¹, Chudley (Chad) Werch, PhD², and Mara Michniewicz, BS². (1) Department of Health Education & Behavior, Addictive & Health Behaviors Research Institute, University of Florida, 6852 Belfort Oaks Place, Jacksonville, FL 32216, 904-281-0726, bianhui@hhp.ufl.edu, (2) Addictive & Health Behaviors Research Institute, Department of Health Education & Behavior, University of Florida, 6852 Belfort Oaks Place, Jacksonville, FL 32216

OBJECTIVES: This study examined the factor structure of self-image and its association with alcohol, cigarettes, and marijuana use behaviors among adolescents. METHODS: Data collected using the Youth Alcohol and Drug Survey in the fall of 2003 and 2005 were collapsed for the study. A total of 1160 high school students in northeast Florida completed the questionnaire. The self-image scale included 26 items and drug use measures included past 30-day (current users) and ever use (early users) of alcohol, cigarettes, and marijuana. RESULTS: An exploratory factor analysis using principal component analysis and varimax rotation revealed three underlying factors that explained 42.79% of the total variance: 1) physical/social appeal, 2) positive character, 3) undesirable social image. The corresponding reliability coefficients were .86 (n = 9), .79 (n = 8), and .63 (n = 8) after deleting one lower loading item. Undesirable social image and drug use behaviors were not highly associated (r = .35, p's < .05 for current drug use, r = .32, p's < .05 for ever drug use). In addition, t tests showed that current and ever drug users presented higher agreeing scores in undesirable social image and lower scores in positive character subscale than non-drug users (p's < .05). CONCLUSION: Current and ever drug using adolescents more likely described themselves in terms of undesirable social images such as rebellious, wild, depressed, arrogant, and mysterious. The findings imply that efforts should be made to increase adolescents' awareness of the risky influence of negative self-image on their substance use behaviors.

Learning Objectives:

• 1. Identify three aspects that may explain the self-image construct.
• 2. Describe the process of exploratory factor analysis in examining interrelationships among variables
• 3. Evaluate the importance of study’s findings to adolescents’ drug use behaviors

Keywords: Drug Use,

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Not Answered