Chung Tammy, Sealy Lauren, Abraham Margaret, Ruglovsky Cynthia, Schall Jacqueline, Maisto Stephen A
a Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center , Pittsburgh , Pennsylvania , USA.
Subst Abus. 2015;36(3):380-8. doi: 10.1080/08897077.2014.932319. Epub 2014 Jun 24.
Among youth in substance use treatment, peer substance use consistently predicts worse treatment outcomes. This study characterized personal (egocentric) networks of treated youth and examined predictors of adolescents' motivation and perceived difficulty in making changes in the peer network to support recovery.
Adolescents (aged 14-18; N = 155) recruited from substance use treatment reported on substance use severity, motivation to abstain from substance use, abstinence goals such as "temporary abstinence," motivation and perceived difficulty in reducing contact with substance-using peers, and personal network characteristics. Personal network variables included composition (proportion of abstinent peers) and structure (number of network members, extent of ties among members) for household and nonhousehold (peer) members.
Although a majority of peer network members were perceived as using alcohol or marijuana, youth in treatment had relatively high motivation to abstain from substance use. However, treated youths' motivation to reduce contact with substance-using peers was relatively low. In particular, a goal of temporary abstinence was associated with lower motivation to change the peer network. For marijuana, specifically, network composition features (proportion of abstinent peers) were associated with motivation and perceived difficulty to change the peer network. For marijuana, in particular, network structural variables (extent of ties among members) were associated only with perceived difficulty of changing the peer network.
Despite high motivation to abstain from substance use during treatment, adolescents reported low motivation to reduce contact with substance-using peers. Personal motivation to abstain and abstinence goal predicted motivation to reduce contact with substance-using peers. In contrast, particularly for marijuana, network structure predicted perceived difficulty of network change. Results highlight the potential utility of addressing motivation and perceived difficulty to change the peer network as part of youth network-based interventions.
在接受物质使用治疗的青少年中，同伴的物质使用情况一直预示着更差的治疗效果。本研究对接受治疗的青少年的个人（以自我为中心的）社交网络进行了特征描述，并考察了青少年在改变同伴社交网络以支持康复方面的动机及感知到的困难的预测因素。
从物质使用治疗机构招募的青少年（年龄在14 - 18岁；N = 155）报告了物质使用严重程度、戒除物质使用的动机、诸如“暂时戒除”等戒除目标、减少与使用物质的同伴接触的动机及感知到的困难，以及个人社交网络特征。个人社交网络变量包括家庭和非家庭（同伴）成员的构成（戒除同伴的比例）和结构（网络成员数量、成员间联系程度）。
尽管大多数同伴社交网络成员被认为使用酒精或大麻，但接受治疗的青少年有相对较高的戒除物质使用的动机。然而，接受治疗的青少年减少与使用物质的同伴接触的动机相对较低。特别是，暂时戒除的目标与改变同伴社交网络的较低动机相关。具体而言，对于大麻，网络构成特征（戒除同伴的比例）与改变同伴社交网络的动机及感知到的困难相关。特别是对于大麻，网络结构变量（成员间联系程度）仅与感知到的改变同伴社交网络的困难相关。
尽管在治疗期间有很高的戒除物质使用的动机，但青少年报告称减少与使用物质的同伴接触的动机较低。戒除的个人动机和戒除目标预测了减少与使用物质的同伴接触的动机。相比之下，特别是对于大麻，网络结构预测了感知到的社交网络改变的困难。研究结果凸显了在基于青少年社交网络的干预措施中，解决改变同伴社交网络的动机和感知到的困难的潜在效用。
