Background to the Research

• Research on drug use behaviour among young people has generally focused on studies conducted with 'normal' students. Some young people are more predisposed to certain risk factors, making them at a higher risk to problem drug use. School exclusion has been identified as one such risk factor, with young people excluded from school consistently reporting higher levels of substance abuse and antisocial behaviour than contemporaries who are 'at risk' for other reasons (e.g. homeless and young offenders), raising the question of the effectiveness of current drug-prevention initiatives in schools.
  

Research Approach

• This paper investigates drug use behaviours among 42 young people, aged 12-13 years and excluded from school in the Greater Belfast area. The young people form the High Risk Booster Sample cohort of the Belfast Youth Development Survey, which is a longitudinal study of the onset and development of adolescent substance abuse. A questionnaire was developed for use in this study, which included questions on drug use, delinquency, family, school and leisure activities. Twenty-nine of the 42 excluded young people, and 4432 young people from mainstream schools in NI, completed the questionnaire.
  

Main Findings

• Relatively high lifetime drug use was found among the high risk young people surveyed. Almost all have smoked a cigarette and drunk alcohol, with two-thirds having been intoxicated. A similar number have tried cannabis and just over one-quarter have abused solvents. Compared with the mainstream sample, they are two times more likely to have been intoxicated, nearly three times more likely to have abused solvents and more than three times more likely to have tried cannabis, amyl nitrate/butyl nitrate, tranquilizers and other pills. The young people in the booster sample reported low levels of use of 'hard' drugs, although one-quarter have taken ecstasy and a number have been offered cocaine and heroin.
• Three-quarters of the booster sample smoke every day and one-fifth drink alcohol at least once a week with the same number reporting being intoxicated as often. Nearly one-half use cannabis at least once a week. In the school sample, 10% smoke every day, while 4% drink alcohol at least once a week and are intoxicated as often.
• The most popular source was to obtain them themselves by purchasing them from a shop, followed by friends. The most popular location for use was outside in the street. For those in the school sample, friends were the most popular source for obtaining drugs; outside in the street was also the most popular location for drug use.
• In relation to the number of delinquent acts committed in the previous 12 months, the number reported by the booster sample ranged from 1 to 12, with a mean of 4.7 acts. The numbers reported in the school sample ranged from 1 to 14, with a mean of 2.8. A clear positive trend between delinquency and drug use was noted.
• Using Statton & Kerr's Parental Monitoring Instrument, a link was found between high levels of substance abuse (particularly cannabis, solvent and alcohol intoxication) and low levels of parental disclosure and solicitation, but the trend was less strong in relation to parental control.
• Most young people in the booster sample reported low levels of commitment to school and low levels of motivation to do well there. For example, those reporting low commitment to school were four times more likely to have abused solvents and twice as likely to have used cannabis, compared with young people in the school sample.
• Most young people reported high levels of outside (of home) activity and low levels of home activity, with most also reporting high levels of friends-based activity. The school sample reported substantially higher levels of home activities and lower levels of outside activities. More than two-thirds of young people in the booster sample reported that they go out each evening of the week, and a further three go out at least five nights per week. These young people accounted for almost all drug use and alcohol intoxication. Only one-third of the school sample reported going out every evening.
• All but three young people in the booster sample reported receiving pocket money from a parent/guardian on a weekly basis (mean £11.11), with 13 saying they receive additional income from working (mean £13.92 per week), a factor sometimes associated with higher levels of drug use in adolescence. They have more money to spend than those in the school sample (means of £7.13 and £4.75).

Conclusions

• In contrast to the claim that this age group can be considered at low risk to substance abuse, the participants in this study reported high levels of drug use and delinquency, and exhibited factors associated with increased levels of risk to drug use. As a group, the young people are already exhibiting risk factors for adolescent drug use, with a number already showing early signs of problem drug use. The link between school exclusion, offending and drug use among young people is noted to be supported by the 2004 MORI Youth Survey.
• Drug prevention strategies are noted to be important in addressing risk factors in order to reduce the likelihood of them occurring.
• Prevention programmes designed to meet the specific needs of young people in alternative education projects are highlighted as important, although it is acknowledged that problems exist such as the identification of those most in need and a full understanding of their drug-using behaviours and lifestyles.
• This study suggests an increasingly difficult period ahead for a group of young people already at risk of future problem drug use, who are also at a high risk of becoming marginalised within society. The drug-using behaviour of this group demands greater attention in future research.