Employment, Peers, and Gender: Disentangling the Context of American Adolescent Substance Use

Researchers have noted that paid employment during the teen years is associated with a combination of both positive and negative consequences, including higher rates of substance use among adolescents who are actively employed. Using a sample of high school seniors, drawn from 130 public and private schools throughout the USA, this study examines the relative impact of job characteristics and peer influence on the substance use patterns of female and male adolescents. The analyses show that males report higher usage of alcohol, cigarettes, and marijuana, as compared to females. The type of job, number of work hours, and job satisfaction all yield significant associations with substance use, yet peer disapproval also is shown to substantially detract from such usage. Comparatively, work characteristics appear to yield a more substantial impact upon male substance usage, while peer influence seems to affect females and males in a similar manner. The findings and implications of these results are discussed within the framework of ecological theory.