The role of cultural norms in the self-esteem and drug use relationship.

It is widely believed that low self-esteem (SE) is associated with greater substance use, although previous research has been unable to support such a relationship consistently. The present study used the "social deviance model" to investigate whether SE was differentially related to substance use for respondents in varying cultural norms. Responses to intensity of tobacco, marijuana, alcohol, and drug use, SE, and cultural norm items from over 2,000 high school and college students failed to support this model.