Introduction
American youths between 18 and 25 years register the highest prevalence of illegal drug use, with 60.5% for lifetime rate of drug use (SAMHSA, 2004). This percentage represents a considerable rise from values of the period between 2002 and 2013 (SAMHSA, 2014). According to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (HSDUH, 2010), young adults between the ages of 18 and 25 abuse prescription drugs the most in the United States. Results from studies indicate contradictory statistics regarding factors of race on drug abuse prevalence. However, studies such as McCabe et al. (2008) indicate that white and Hispanic students are more likely to report drug abuse than their African American and Asian counterparts.
This study is important because drug use is associated with negative health, social, economic, and psychological outcomes for young people. The purpose of the study is to determine whether there is a correlation between substance use and young adulthood (19-27 years of age). The research design will involve probability sampling of 4,200 American undergraduate students between the ages of 19 and 27 years. A web-based questionnaire will be distributed to them. The research will hope to find important data with regard to the correlation between substance use and young adulthood.
Hypothesis: The rate of drug abuse has a direct correlation with membership into the young adult category of 18-27 years.
This study is significant because it will provide information that can be used by policy-makers to focus their efforts on this age group.
The purpose of this study is to establish whether there is a correlation between drug use and young adulthood. Hopefully, the results of this study can be used to underpin subsequent studies in this area and to influence policy-making.
Literature review
Various studies have explored drug use amongst young people. For example, Boys, (2001) examined the reasons young people give for abusing substances (cannabis, alcohol, LSD, ecstasy, amphetamines). The results showed that most of the participants had used at least one of the six substances.
Fagan et al. (2013) carried out a study to determine the relation between neighborhoods characteristics and substance abuse. The study used longitudinal data from 1856 Hispanic, Caucasian and African American adolescents. The race-ethnicity ratio was used to analyze the data. The findings showed disadvantage in neighborhoods is not an efficient indicator of substance use; however other characteristics of the neighborhood may influence behaviors.
Fuller and Jotangia (2009) examines the views of young adults on of Smoking, Drinking and Drug use. The survey also aimed at identifying behavior patterns and factors that affect the vice (Jotangia & Fuller, 2009). The research found out that in England approximately 90,000 pupils aged between 11 and 15 smoked regularly, 240,000 had drunk alcohol in the past week, 180,000 had taken drugs in the last month, and 310,000 had taken drugs (Jotangia & Fuller, 2009).
Borczyskowski et al.,(2013) examine the relation between substance abuse and substitute care. Substance abuse found to be common among foster children parents was higher than that of adoptees and high risks for substance abuse was high in young adulthood from substitute parenting (Borczyskowski, Vinnerljung & Hjern, 2013). When parental substance abuse was adjusted, the risks were similar showing the minor influence that substitute homes had on substance abuse (von Borczyskowski, Vinnerljung & Hjern, 2013).
References
Borczyskowski, A., Vinnerljung, B., & Hjern, A. (2013). Alcohol and drug abuse among young adults who grew up in substitute care — Findings from a Swedish national cohort study. Children and Youth Services Review, 35(12), 1954-1961. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2013.09.024
Boys, A. (2001). Understanding reasons for drug use amongst young people: a functional perspective. Health Education Research, 16(4), 457-469. http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/her/16.4.457
Fagan, A., Wright, E., & Pinchevsky, G. (2012). Racial/Ethnic Differences in the Relationship Between Neighborhood Disadvantage and Adolescent Substance Use. Journal of Drug Issues, 43(1), 69-84. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0022042612462218
Fuller, E. & Jotangia, D. (2009). Cigarette and alcohol consumption among young people in England: findings from the Smoking, Drinking and Drug Use Survey 2008. Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health, 63(Suppl 2), 40-40. http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/jech.2009.096719n
HSDUH, (2010). National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH). Nsduhweb.rti.org. Retrieved 2 April 2016, from https://nsduhweb.rti.org/respweb/homepage.cfm##
McCabe, S., Morales, M., Cranford, J., Delva, J., McPherson, M., & Boyd, C. (2008). Race/Ethnicity and Gender Differences in Drug Use and Abuse Among College Students. Journal Of Ethnicity In Substance Abuse, 6(2), 75-95. http://dx.doi.org/10.1300/j233v06n02_06
SAMHSA (2004). Overview of Findings from the 2003 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (Office of Applied Studies, NSDUH Series H–24, DHHS Publication No. SMA 04–3963
