Investigating the Effects of Family, Peer, and School Domains on Postdropout Drug Use

This study assesses the effects of three factors on dropping out of high school and later drug use: antecedents to dropout; predictors of drug use articulated by criminological theories (e.g., social bonds, peers, and strain); and postdropout factors associated with adult social bonds (e.g., marriage and employment). Two findings emerge from the analyses. First, an antecedent to dropout—disruptive school behavior—explains differences in drug use between high school dropouts and high school students. Second, when dropouts alone are considered, school problems, early drug use, and deviant peers intensify dropouts’ drug use, independent of marital status and job stability. Results suggest that factors exacerbating substance use among dropouts have a more persistent effect on their deviant behavior than do those inhibiting it.