0306.4603:79.‘0201-0091102.00;0
-tclrlr~r!t“ n‘~ll‘rrrorr. Vol. 4. pp. 91-93. 0 Pergamon Press Ltd 1979. Printed in Great Britam
MOTIVATIONS FOR DRUG USE AND PROBLEMATIC OUTCOMES AMONG RURAL JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS RODERICK University
S. CARMAN of Wyoming
Abstract-Personal, social and experiential motivations for drug use were investigated among rural high school students in terms of problematic outcomes as measured by reported frequency of intoxication and number of social complications. Results indicate that while problematic outcomes are significantly associated with increased number of reported motivations in all categories, when proportion scores are examined only personal effects motivations remain significantly related to problematic use. As suggested by previous research on the relationship of motivation and outcome in the use of alcohol, it seems likely that motivations which link the use of other drugs to a need for alteration of self-perception or for assistance in coping with stress are important in the development of problematic use patterns.
Although a number of studies have yielded evidence for a relationship between selfreported motivations for alcohol use and problematic outcomes in terms of amount of drinking and social complications resulting from drinking, few data are available which would shed light on such a relationship concerning drugs other than alcohol. In order to investigate the potentially analogous relationship between motivations for the use of drugs such as marijuana, amphetamines, hallucinogens and barbiturates, and outcomes, such as frequent intoxication and a variety of social complications, adolescents of junior high school age in a rural Wyoming community were asked to describe their motives for using such drugs, and to indicate the nature of drug use outcomes they had experienced. Based on the earlier work of Mulford & Miller (1959, 1960a, 1960b, 1963), a motivations scale for alcohol use has been developed and used with a variety of subject populations, including college students (Jessor et al., 1968a), high school students and adults (Jessor ef al., 1968b), enlisted personnel in the U.S. Army (Carman, 1971), and rural high school students (Carman, 1974). This scale includes personal efects motivations, which imply the need to change one’s self-perception or cope with persona1 dissatisfactions (“helps me forget I’m not the kind which of person I’d like to be”, “feeling mad”) as well as social eflects motivations emphasize the festive, convivial use of alcohol in such a way as to enhance social occasions (“makes get-togethers fun ” , “it’s a pleasant way to celebrate”). For the present study, a scale was constructed which included ten motivations in each of the above two categories, as well as ten additional experiential motivations which were designed to reflect an emphasis on pleasant persona1 experience and changes in perception (“it enhances your senses ” , “it makes you feel peaceful”). Subjects were asked to pick any or all of the thirty items on this scale according to whether or not an item represented something which made the subject feel like using drugs or whether it represented something about drug use which was personally important. The motivations scale was scored in two ways. First, the number of motivations selected in each of the three categories was recorded. Second, in order to control for variation in total number of items selected, the percentage of total number of items selected attributable to the three categories was calculated. Subjects were then asked to report how many times they had gotten “really high” during the last year as a measure of frequency of intoxication, and choices ranged from “never” to “10 or more times.” Finally, each subject was asked to indicate how many drug related social complications he or she had experienced by choosing from 91
92
RODERKK S. CARMAN Table
1. Correlations
Times high Social complications **P < 0.01, one-tailed
between
number
of motivations
and drug
use outcomes
Number of social effects motivations
Number of personal effects motivations
Number of experiential effects motivations
0.58** 0.55**
0.65** 0.69**
0.55** 0.61**
tests.
a list of 13 items which included troubles with friends, family, or authorities, accidents, injuries and property damage. The frequency of intoxication item was scored by assigning numerical values from 0 to 6 to each of the choices presented, producing a score which increased with frequency of intoxication. Social complications were scored by simply tabulating the number of items selected which produced a range of values from 0 to 13. The questionnaire scales were administered to 215 junior high school students in grades seven through nine. This was done during regular class periods in a public school with an enrollment of 423 located in a rural Wyoming community with a population of approximately 11,000. Additional data were collected, and for a more complete description of the subjects, geographical region and a comparison of levels of drug use among these subjects with the previously found among high school students in the state of Washington, see Carman (1977). Pearson product-moment correlation coefficients were calculated for the purpose of examining the relationship between drug use motivations and outcomes, and the first set of coefficients to be discussed is presented in Table 1 above. As can be seen from the correlation coefficients in Table 1, all categories of drug use motivations correlate positively with reported number of times high and social complications when number of motivation items selected is considered. It appears from these data that problematic drug use is associated with greater involvement with all categories of motivation, suggesting that those who experience such problems will report more motivations of all types. While not inconsistent with theoretical expectations, this finding does reveal the weakness of this particular motivation measure in differentiating drug use outcomes. However, when percentages scores are calculated, a different picture emerges. Correlations between drug use motivations and percentage of motivation items attributable to the three motivation categories are presented below in Table 2. Data presented in Table 2 reveal a differential relationship between motivations and outcomes when percentage scores are used. Personal effects motivations correlate significantly in the expected direction with both measures of outcome, whereas social effects motivations and experiential effects motivations were found to have no significant relationship with either outcome measure. These results appear to have important implications for studies of self-reported drug use motivations where inferences are made about probable outcomes. It would seem that if one is not to be misled by the tendency of problematic adolescent users to report greater numbers of motivations of all types, including those motivations which are thought to be indicative of benign use, measures based on proportions should be Table 2. Correlations
Times high Social complications *P < 0.05. one-tailed
tests.
between
percentage
of motivations
and drug
use outcomes
Percentage of social effects motivations
Percentage of personal effects motivations
Percentage of experiential effects motivations
0.04 - 0.04
0.28* 0.27*
- 0.04 0.01
Motivations
for drug
use
93
used. In the present study, motivations which link drug use to a desire or need for personal change were clearly related to frequency of intoxication and social complications when variation in number of total responses was controlled for. As in the case of alcohol use, a preference for personal effects motivations does indeed seem to have implications for problematic patterns of drug use outcomes among these young rural subjects. REFERENCES Carman, R. S. Expectations and socialization experiences related to drinking among U.S. servicemen. Quarterly Journal of Studies on Alcohol, 1971, 32, 104&1047. Carman, R. S. Internal-external locus of control, alcohol use and adjustment among high school students in rural communities. Journal of Community Psychology, 1974, 2, 129-133. Carman, R. S. Internal-external control and drug use among junior high school students in a rural community. International Journal of the Addictions, 1977, 12, 53-64. Jessor, R., Carman, F. S. SC Grossman, P. H. Expectations of need and satisfaction and drinking patterns of college students. Quarterly Journal of Studies on Alcohol, 1968a, 29, 101-116. Jessor, R., Graves, T. D., Hanson, R. C. & Jessor, S. L. Society, Personality and Deviant Behauior: a Study of a Tri-ethnic Community. New York: Holt, 1968. Mulford, H. A., & Miller, D. E. Drinking behavior related to definition of alcohol: A report of research in progress. American Sociological Review, 1959, 24, 385-389. Mulford, H. A., & Miller, D. E. Drinking in Iowa: III. A scale of definitions of alcohol related to drinking behavior. Quarter/y Journal of Studies on Alcohol, 1960a, 21, 267-278. Mulford, H. A., & Miller, D. E. Drinking in Iowa: IV. Preoccupation with alcohol and definitions of alcohol, heavy drinking and trouble due to drinking. Quarterly Journal of Studies on Alcohol, 1960b, 21, 279-291.
-tclrlr~r!t“ n‘~ll‘rrrorr. Vol. 4. pp. 91-93. 0 Pergamon Press Ltd 1979. Printed in Great Britam
MOTIVATIONS FOR DRUG USE AND PROBLEMATIC OUTCOMES AMONG RURAL JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS RODERICK University
S. CARMAN of Wyoming
Abstract-Personal, social and experiential motivations for drug use were investigated among rural high school students in terms of problematic outcomes as measured by reported frequency of intoxication and number of social complications. Results indicate that while problematic outcomes are significantly associated with increased number of reported motivations in all categories, when proportion scores are examined only personal effects motivations remain significantly related to problematic use. As suggested by previous research on the relationship of motivation and outcome in the use of alcohol, it seems likely that motivations which link the use of other drugs to a need for alteration of self-perception or for assistance in coping with stress are important in the development of problematic use patterns.
Although a number of studies have yielded evidence for a relationship between selfreported motivations for alcohol use and problematic outcomes in terms of amount of drinking and social complications resulting from drinking, few data are available which would shed light on such a relationship concerning drugs other than alcohol. In order to investigate the potentially analogous relationship between motivations for the use of drugs such as marijuana, amphetamines, hallucinogens and barbiturates, and outcomes, such as frequent intoxication and a variety of social complications, adolescents of junior high school age in a rural Wyoming community were asked to describe their motives for using such drugs, and to indicate the nature of drug use outcomes they had experienced. Based on the earlier work of Mulford & Miller (1959, 1960a, 1960b, 1963), a motivations scale for alcohol use has been developed and used with a variety of subject populations, including college students (Jessor et al., 1968a), high school students and adults (Jessor ef al., 1968b), enlisted personnel in the U.S. Army (Carman, 1971), and rural high school students (Carman, 1974). This scale includes personal efects motivations, which imply the need to change one’s self-perception or cope with persona1 dissatisfactions (“helps me forget I’m not the kind which of person I’d like to be”, “feeling mad”) as well as social eflects motivations emphasize the festive, convivial use of alcohol in such a way as to enhance social occasions (“makes get-togethers fun ” , “it’s a pleasant way to celebrate”). For the present study, a scale was constructed which included ten motivations in each of the above two categories, as well as ten additional experiential motivations which were designed to reflect an emphasis on pleasant persona1 experience and changes in perception (“it enhances your senses ” , “it makes you feel peaceful”). Subjects were asked to pick any or all of the thirty items on this scale according to whether or not an item represented something which made the subject feel like using drugs or whether it represented something about drug use which was personally important. The motivations scale was scored in two ways. First, the number of motivations selected in each of the three categories was recorded. Second, in order to control for variation in total number of items selected, the percentage of total number of items selected attributable to the three categories was calculated. Subjects were then asked to report how many times they had gotten “really high” during the last year as a measure of frequency of intoxication, and choices ranged from “never” to “10 or more times.” Finally, each subject was asked to indicate how many drug related social complications he or she had experienced by choosing from 91
92
RODERKK S. CARMAN Table
1. Correlations
Times high Social complications **P < 0.01, one-tailed
between
number
of motivations
and drug
use outcomes
Number of social effects motivations
Number of personal effects motivations
Number of experiential effects motivations
0.58** 0.55**
0.65** 0.69**
0.55** 0.61**
tests.
a list of 13 items which included troubles with friends, family, or authorities, accidents, injuries and property damage. The frequency of intoxication item was scored by assigning numerical values from 0 to 6 to each of the choices presented, producing a score which increased with frequency of intoxication. Social complications were scored by simply tabulating the number of items selected which produced a range of values from 0 to 13. The questionnaire scales were administered to 215 junior high school students in grades seven through nine. This was done during regular class periods in a public school with an enrollment of 423 located in a rural Wyoming community with a population of approximately 11,000. Additional data were collected, and for a more complete description of the subjects, geographical region and a comparison of levels of drug use among these subjects with the previously found among high school students in the state of Washington, see Carman (1977). Pearson product-moment correlation coefficients were calculated for the purpose of examining the relationship between drug use motivations and outcomes, and the first set of coefficients to be discussed is presented in Table 1 above. As can be seen from the correlation coefficients in Table 1, all categories of drug use motivations correlate positively with reported number of times high and social complications when number of motivation items selected is considered. It appears from these data that problematic drug use is associated with greater involvement with all categories of motivation, suggesting that those who experience such problems will report more motivations of all types. While not inconsistent with theoretical expectations, this finding does reveal the weakness of this particular motivation measure in differentiating drug use outcomes. However, when percentages scores are calculated, a different picture emerges. Correlations between drug use motivations and percentage of motivation items attributable to the three motivation categories are presented below in Table 2. Data presented in Table 2 reveal a differential relationship between motivations and outcomes when percentage scores are used. Personal effects motivations correlate significantly in the expected direction with both measures of outcome, whereas social effects motivations and experiential effects motivations were found to have no significant relationship with either outcome measure. These results appear to have important implications for studies of self-reported drug use motivations where inferences are made about probable outcomes. It would seem that if one is not to be misled by the tendency of problematic adolescent users to report greater numbers of motivations of all types, including those motivations which are thought to be indicative of benign use, measures based on proportions should be Table 2. Correlations
Times high Social complications *P < 0.05. one-tailed
tests.
between
percentage
of motivations
and drug
use outcomes
Percentage of social effects motivations
Percentage of personal effects motivations
Percentage of experiential effects motivations
0.04 - 0.04
0.28* 0.27*
- 0.04 0.01
Motivations
for drug
use
93
used. In the present study, motivations which link drug use to a desire or need for personal change were clearly related to frequency of intoxication and social complications when variation in number of total responses was controlled for. As in the case of alcohol use, a preference for personal effects motivations does indeed seem to have implications for problematic patterns of drug use outcomes among these young rural subjects. REFERENCES Carman, R. S. Expectations and socialization experiences related to drinking among U.S. servicemen. Quarterly Journal of Studies on Alcohol, 1971, 32, 104&1047. Carman, R. S. Internal-external locus of control, alcohol use and adjustment among high school students in rural communities. Journal of Community Psychology, 1974, 2, 129-133. Carman, R. S. Internal-external control and drug use among junior high school students in a rural community. International Journal of the Addictions, 1977, 12, 53-64. Jessor, R., Carman, F. S. SC Grossman, P. H. Expectations of need and satisfaction and drinking patterns of college students. Quarterly Journal of Studies on Alcohol, 1968a, 29, 101-116. Jessor, R., Graves, T. D., Hanson, R. C. & Jessor, S. L. Society, Personality and Deviant Behauior: a Study of a Tri-ethnic Community. New York: Holt, 1968. Mulford, H. A., & Miller, D. E. Drinking behavior related to definition of alcohol: A report of research in progress. American Sociological Review, 1959, 24, 385-389. Mulford, H. A., & Miller, D. E. Drinking in Iowa: III. A scale of definitions of alcohol related to drinking behavior. Quarter/y Journal of Studies on Alcohol, 1960a, 21, 267-278. Mulford, H. A., & Miller, D. E. Drinking in Iowa: IV. Preoccupation with alcohol and definitions of alcohol, heavy drinking and trouble due to drinking. Quarterly Journal of Studies on Alcohol, 1960b, 21, 279-291.
