Skip to main content

Advertisement

Log in

Peer Influence and Adolescent Substance Use: A Systematic Review of Dynamic Social Network Research

  • Systematic Review
  • Published:
Adolescent Research Review Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Peer influence is one of the most proximal risk factors for adolescent substance use, and decades of theoretical and empirical research point to the importance of disentangling two interrelated processes that often co-occur: (1) peer selection is the process whereby adolescents choose to interact with one another; and (2) peer socialization is the process whereby individual behavior is shaped over time. Recent advancements in social network analyses, including the application of stochastic actor based models to developmental studies, have helped to disentangle the contributions of peer selection and socialization to adolescent substance use. The current study is the first systematic review of this literature, aiming to identify the extent to which adolescent substance use is associated with peer selection and socialization and highlighting patterns in study design across studies. Forty studies that met inclusion criteria were identified and systematically coded for study design characteristics (e.g., number of time points; number of covariates) and significant peer selection and socialization effects by substance use outcome. This review found support for peer selection effects on adolescent alcohol and tobacco use. Additionally, most studies reported peer socialization effects for adolescent alcohol use. However, relatively few studies reported socialization effects for tobacco use. Few studies reported on the peer effects associated with adolescent drug use. Variations in study design, including variations in the bounds of the network and in the covariates included in modeling, helped to identify areas for future research. Future research that helps to further clarify the roles of specific peer selection and socialization mechanisms will help with the development and refinement of prevention and intervention programs focused on reducing adolescent substance use.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Fig. 1

Similar content being viewed by others

References

*Included in the literature review

  • Alexander, C., Piazza, M., Mekos, D., & Valente, T. (2001). Peers, schools, and adolescent cigarette smoking. Journal of Adolescent Health, 29, 22–30.

    Google Scholar 

  • Arrazola, R. A., Singh, T., Corey, C. G., Husten, C. G., Neff, L. J., & Apelberg, B. J. (2015). Tobacco use among middle and high school students—United States, 2011–2014. MMWR, 64, 381–385.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Bandura, A. (1977). Social learning theory. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bauman, K. E., & Ennett, S. T. (1994). Peer influence on adolescent drug use. American Psychologist, 49(9), 820.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bearman, P. S., Jones, J., & Udry, J. R. (1997). The national longitudinal study of adolescent health. Chapel Hill, NC: Carolina Population Center.

    Google Scholar 

  • Brechwald, W. A., & Prinstein, M. J. (2011). Beyond homophily: A decade of advances in understanding peer influence processes. Journal of Research on Adolescence, 21(1), 166–179.

    PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Brooks-Gunn, J., Duncan, G. J., & Aber, J. L. (1997). Neighborhood poverty: Context and consequences for children (Vol. 1). New York: Russell Sage Foundation.

    Google Scholar 

  • *Burk, W. J., Van der Vorst, H., Kerr, M., & Stattin, H. (2012). Alcohol intoxication frequency and friendship dynamics: Selection and socialization in early, mid- and late adolescent peer networks. Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs, 73, 89–98.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). (2015). Electronic nicotine delivery systems: Key facts. CDC, Office on Smoking and Health: Atlanta.

    Google Scholar 

  • *Cheadle, J. E., Walsemann, K. M., & Goosby, B. J. (2015). Teen alcohol use and social networks: The contributions of friend influence and friendship selection. Journal of Alcoholism and Drug Dependence. https://doi.org/10.4172/2329-6488.1000224.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Chen, X., French, D. C., & Schneider, B. H. (Eds.). (2006). Peer relationships in cultural context. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Choukas-Bradley, S., Giletta, M., Neblett, E. W., & Prinstein, M. J. (2015). Ethnic differences in associations among popularity, likability, and trajectories of adolescents' alcohol use and frequency. Child Development, 86(2), 519–535.

    PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Christakis, N. A., & Fowler, J. H. (2008). The collective dynamics of smoking in a large social network. New England Journal of Medicine, 358(21), 2249–2258.

    Google Scholar 

  • D'Amico, E. J., & Fromme, K. (1997). Health risk behaviors of adolescent and young adult siblings. Health Psychology, 16(5), 426.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • *De La Haye, K., Green, H. D., Jr., Kennedy, D. P., Pollard, M. S., & Tucker, J. S. (2013). Selection and influence mechanisms associated with marijuana initiation and use in adolescent friendship networks. Journal of Research on Adolescence, 23(3), 474–486.

    Google Scholar 

  • *De La Haye, K., Green, H. D., Pollard, M. S., Kennedy, D. P., & Tucker, J. S. (2015). Befriending risky peers: Factors driving adolescents’ selection of friends with similar marijuana use. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 44(10), 1914–1928.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • *De Vries, H., Mudde, A., Leijs, I., Charlton, A., Vartiainen, E., Buijs, G.,…, & Prins, T. (2003). The European smoking prevention framework approach (EFSA): An example of integral prevention. Health Education Research, 18(5), 611–626

  • DeLay, D., Laursen, B., Kiuru, N., SalmelaAro, K., & Nurmi, J. E. (2013). Selecting and retaining friends on the basis of cigarette smoking similarity. Journal of Research on Adolescence, 23(3), 464–473.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dishion, T. J., & Loeber, R. (1985). Adolescent marijuana and alcohol use: The role of parents and peers revisited. The American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse, 11(1–2), 11–25.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Dishion, T. J., Spracklen, K. M., Andrews, D. W., & Patterson, G. R. (1996). Deviancy training in male adolescent friendships. Behavior Therapy, 27(3), 373–390.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fergusson, D. M., Swain-Campbell, N. R., & Horwood, L. J. (2002). Deviant peer affiliations, crime, and substance use: A fixed effects regression analysis. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 30(4), 419–430.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Festinger, L. (1954). A theory of social comparison processes. Human Relations, 7(2), 117–140.

    Google Scholar 

  • Friedkin, N. E. (1998). A structural theory of social influence. New York: Cambridge University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gardner, M., & Steinberg, L. (2005). Peer influence on risk taking, risk preference, and risky decision making in adolescence and adulthood: An experimental study. Developmental Psychology, 41(4), 625–635.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Gest, S. D., Osgood, D. W., Feinberg, M. E., Bierman, K. L., & Moody, J. (2011). Strengthening prevention program theories and evaluations: Contributions from social network analysis. Prevention Science, 12, 349–360. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11121-011-0229-2.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • *Giletta, M., Scholte, R. H., Prinstein, M. J., Engels, R. C., Rabaglietti, E., & Burk, W. J. (2012). Friendship context matters: Examining the domain specificity of alcohol and depression socialization among adolescents. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 40(7), 1027–1043.

    PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • *Haas, S. A., & Schaefer, D. R. (2014). With a little help from my friends? Asymmetrical social influence on adolescent smoking initiation and cessation. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 55(2), 126–143.

    PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Hawkins, J. D., Catalano, R. F., & Miller, J. Y. (1992). Risk and protective factors for alcohol and other drug problems in adolescence and early adulthood: Implications for substance abuse prevention. Psychological Bulletin, 112, 64–105.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Henneberger, A. K., Gest, S. D., & Zadzora, K. M. (2019). Preventing adolescent substance use: A content analysis of peer processes targeted within universal school-based programs. The Journal of Primary Prevention, 40(2), 213–230.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Hopfer, C. (2014). Implications of marijuana legalization for adolescent substance use. Substance Abuse, 35(4), 331–335.

    PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • *Huang, G. C., Soto, D., Fujimoto, K., & Valente, T. W. (2014a). The interplay of friendship networks and social networking sites: Longitudinal analysis of selection and influence effects on adolescent smoking and alcohol use. American Journal of Public Health, 104(8), e51–e59.

    PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Huang, G. C., Unger, J. B., Soto, D., Fujimoto, K., Pentz, M. A., Jordan-Marsh, M., et al. (2014b). Peer influences: The impact of online and offline friendship networks on adolescent smoking and alcohol use. Journal of Adolescent Health, 54(5), 508–514.

    Google Scholar 

  • *Huisman, C. (2014). Does it matter what friends think, say, or do? The role of friends’ smoking attitudes and behavior for Dutch adolescents’ smoking behavior. Substance Use & Misuse, 49(6), 715–723.

    Google Scholar 

  • *Huisman, C., & Bruggeman, J. (2012). The social network, socioeconomic background, and school type of adolescent smokers. International Journal of Behavioral Development, 36(5), 329–337.

    Google Scholar 

  • Katz, L., & Proctor, C. H. (1959). The concept of configuration of interpersonal relations in a group as a time-dependent stochastic process. Psychometrika, 24(4), 317–327.

    Google Scholar 

  • *Kiuru, N., Burk, W. J., Laursen, B., Salmela-Aro, K., & Nurmi, J. E. (2010). Pressure to drink but not to smoke: Disentangling selection and socialization in adolescent peer networks and peer groups. Journal of Adolescence, 33(6), 801–812.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • *Knecht, A. B., Burk, W. J., Weesie, J., & Steglich, C. (2011). Friendship and alcohol use in early adolescence: A multilevel social network approach. Journal of Research on Adolescence, 21(2), 475–487.

    Google Scholar 

  • La Greca, A. M., Prinstein, M. J., & Fetter, M. D. (2001). Adolescent peer crowd affiliation: Linkages with health-risk behaviors and close friendships. Journal of pediatric psychology, 26(3), 131–143.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • *Lakon, C. M., Hipp, J. R., Wang, C., Butts, C. T., & Jose, R. (2015a). Simulating dynamic network models and adolescent smoking: The impact of varying peer influence and peer selection. American Journal of Public Health, 105(12), 2438–2448.

    PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • *Lakon, C. M., Wang, C., Butts, C. T., Jose, R., Timberlake, D. S., & Hipp, J. R. (2015b). A dynamic model of adolescent friendship networks, parental influences, and smoking. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 44(9), 1767–1786.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Lazarsfeld, P. F., & Merton, R. K. (1954). Friendship as social process: A substantive and methodological analysis. In M. Berger & T. Abel (Eds.), Freedom and control in modern society (Vol. 2, pp. 18–66). New York, NY: Van Nostrand.

    Google Scholar 

  • *Light, J. M., Greenan, C. C., Rusby, J. C., Nies, K. M., & Snijders, T. A. (2013). Onset to first alcohol use in early adolescence: A network diffusion model. Journal of Research on Adolescence, 23(3), 487–499.

    PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Loeber, R., Farrington, D. P., Stouthamer-Loeber, M., & Van Kammen, W. B. (1998). Multiple risk factors for multiproblem boys: Co-occurrence of delinquency, substance use, attention deficit, conduct problems, physical aggression, covert behavior, depressed mood, and shy/withdrawn behavior. In R. Jessor (Ed.), New perspectives on adolescent risk behavior (pp. 90–149). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511571138.005

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • *Long, E., Barrett, T. S., & Lockhart, G. (2017). Network-behavior dynamics of adolescent friendships, alcohol use, and physical activity. Health Psychology, 36(6), 577.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • *Mathys, C., Burk, W. J., & Cillessen, A. H. (2013). Popularity as a moderator of peer selection and socialization of adolescent alcohol, marijuana, and tobacco use. Journal of Research on Adolescence, 23(3), 513–523.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mayeux, L., Sandstrom, M. J., & Cillessen, A. H. N. (2008). Is being popular a risky proposition? Journal of Research on Adolescence, 18, 49–74.

    Google Scholar 

  • Meich, R. A., Johnston, L. D., O’Malley, P. M., Bachman, J. G., Schulenberg, J. E., & Patrick, M. E. (2019). Monitoring the future national survey results on drug use, 975–2018: volume 1, Secondary school students. Ann Arbor: The University of Michigan.

    Google Scholar 

  • *Mercken, L., Sleddens, E. F. C., de Vries, H., & Steglich, C. E. G. (2013). Choosing adolescent smokers as friends: The role of parenting and parental smoking. Journal of Adolescence, 36(2), 383–392.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • *Mercken, L., Snijders, T. A., Steglich, C., & de Vries, H. (2009). Dynamics of adolescent friendship networks and smoking behavior: Social network analyses in six European countries. Social Science & Medicine, 69(10), 1506–1514.

    Google Scholar 

  • *Mercken, L., Snijders, T. A., Steglich, C., Vartiainen, E., & De Vries, H. (2010a). Dynamics of adolescent friendship networks and smoking behavior. Social Networks, 32(1), 72–81.

    Google Scholar 

  • *Mercken, L., Snijders, T. A., Steglich, C., Vartiainen, E., & De Vries, H. (2010b). Smoking based selection and influence in gender segregated friendship networks: A social network analysis of adolescent smoking. Addiction, 105(7), 1280–1289.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • *Mercken, L., Steglich, C., Knibbe, R., & De Vries, H. (2012a). Dynamics of friendship networks and alcohol use in early and mid-adolescence. Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs, 73(1), 99–110.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • *Mercken, L., Steglich, C., Sinclair, P., Holliday, J., & Moore, L. (2012b). A longitudinal social network analysis of peer influence, peer selection, and smoking behavior among adolescents in British schools. Health Psychology, 31(4), 450.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Moody, J., Feinberg, M. E., Osgood, D. W., & Gest, S. D. (2010). Mining the network: Peers and adolescent health. Journal of Adolescent Health, 47(4), 324–326.

    Google Scholar 

  • *Mundt, M. P., Mercken, L., & Zakletskaia, L. (2012). Peer selection and influence effects on adolescent alcohol use: A stochastic actor-based model. BMC Pediatrics, 12(1), 115.

    PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • *Osgood, D. W., Feinberg, M. E., & Ragan, D. T. (2015). Social networks and the diffusion of adolescent problem behavior: Reliable estimates of selection and influence from sixth through ninth grades. Prevention Science, 16(6), 832–843.

    PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • *Osgood, D. W., Ragan, D. T., Wallace, L., Gest, S. D., Feinberg, M. E., & Moody, J. (2013). Peers and the emergence of alcohol use: Influence and selection processes in adolescent friendship networks. Journal of Research on Adolescence, 23(3), 500–512.

    Google Scholar 

  • Patrick, M. E., Miech, R. A., Carlier, C., O'Malley, P. M., Johnston, L. D., & Schulenberg, J. E. (2016). Self-reported reasons for vaping among 8th, 10th, and 12th graders in the US: Nationally-representative results. Drug and alcohol dependence, 165, 275–278.

    PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • *Pearson, M., Steglich, C., & Snijders, T. (2006). Homophily and assimilation among sport-active adolescence substance users. Connections, 27(1), 47–63.

    Google Scholar 

  • *Rabaglietti, E., Burk, W. J., & Giletta, M. (2012). Regulatory self-efficacy as a moderator of peer socialization relating to Italian adolescents' alcohol intoxication. Social Development, 21(3), 522–536.

    Google Scholar 

  • *Ragan, D. T. (2014). Revisiting “what they think”: Adolescent drinking and the importance of peer beliefs. Criminology, 52(3), 488–513.

    PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • *Ragan, D. T. (2016). Peer beliefs and smoking in adolescence: A longitudinal social network analysis. The American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse, 42(2), 222–230.

    PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • *Ragan, D. T., Osgood, D. W., & Feinberg, M. E. (2013). Friends as a bridge to parental influence: Implications for adolescent alcohol use. Social forces, 92(3), 1061–1085.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ripley, R. M., Snijders, T. A. B., Boda, Z., Voros, A., & Preciado, P. (2019). Manual for RSIENA. Oxford: University of Oxford, Department of Statistics, Nuffield College.

    Google Scholar 

  • *Schaefer, D. R. (2018). A network analysis of factors leading adolescents to befriend substance-using peers. Journal of Quantitative Criminology, 34(1), 275–312.

    Google Scholar 

  • *Schaefer, D. R., Adams, J., & Haas, S. A. (2013). Social networks and smoking: Exploring the effects of peer influence and smoker popularity through simulations. Health Education & Behavior, 40(1_suppl), 24S–32S.

    Google Scholar 

  • *Schaefer, D. R., Haas, S. A., & Bishop, N. J. (2012). A dynamic model of US adolescents’ smoking and friendship networks. American Journal of Public Health, 102(6), e12–e18.

    PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Sijtsema, J. J., & Lindenberg, S. M. (2018). Peer influence in the development of adolescent antisocial behavior: Advances from dynamic social network studies. Developmental Review, 50, 140–154. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dr.2018.08.002.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Simons-Morton, B. G., & Farhat, T. (2010). Recent findings on peer group influences on adolescent smoking. The Journal of Primary Prevention, 31(4), 191–208.

    PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Snijders, T. A. (2011). Statistical models for social networks. Annual Review of Sociology, 37, 131–153.

    Google Scholar 

  • Snijders, T. A. B., van de Bunt, G. G., & Steglich, C. E. G. (2010). Introduction to stochastic actor-based models for network dynamics. Social Networks, 32, 44–60. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socnet.2009.02.004.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Spoth, R., Redmond, C., Shin, C., Greenberg, M., Clair, S., & Feinberg, M. (2007). Substance-use outcomes at 18 months past baseline: The PROSPER community–university partnership trial. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 32(5), 395–402.

    PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • *Steglich, C., Sinclair, P., Holliday, J., & Moore, L. (2012). Actor-based analysis of peer influence in A Stop Smoking in Schools Trial (ASSIST). Social Networks, 34(3), 359–369.

    Google Scholar 

  • Steglich, C., Snijders, T. A., & Pearson, M. (2010). Dynamic networks and behavior: Separating selection from influence. Sociological Methodology, 40(1), 329–393. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9531.2010.01225.x.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Steglich, C., Snijders, T. A., & West, P. (2006). Applying SIENA: An illustrative analysis of the coevolution of adolescents' friendship networks, taste in music, and alcohol consumption. Methodology: European Journal of Research Methods for the Behavioral and Social Sciences, 2(1), 48.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sung, H. E., Richter, L., Vaughan, R., Johnson, P. B., & Thom, B. (2005). Nonmedical use of prescription opioids among teenagers in the United States: Trends and correlates. Journal of Adolescent Health, 37(1), 44–51.

    Google Scholar 

  • *Tucker, J. S., De La Haye, K., Kennedy, D. P., Green, H. D., & Pollard, M. S. (2014). Peer influence on marijuana use in different types of friendships. Journal of Adolescent Health, 54(1), 67–73.

    Google Scholar 

  • Valente, T. W., Unger, J. B., & Johnson, C. A. (2005). Do popular students smoke? The association between popularity and smoking among middle school students. Journal of Adolescent Health, 37, 323–329.

    Google Scholar 

  • *Van Ryzin, M. J., DeLay, D., & Dishion, T. J. (2016). Being well-liked predicts increased use of alcohol but not tobacco in early adolescence. Addictive Behaviors, 53, 168–174.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Veenstra, R., Dijkstra, J. K., Steglich, C., & Van Zalk, M. H. (2013). Network–behavior dynamics. Journal of Research on Adolescence, 23(3), 399–412.

    Google Scholar 

  • Veenstra, R., & Steglich, C. (2012). Actor-based model for network and behavior dynamics. In B. Laursen, T. Little, & N. A. Card (Eds.), Handbook of developmental research methods (pp. 598–618). New York: Guilford Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • *Wang, C., Hipp, J. R., Butts, C. T., Jose, R., & Lakon, C. M. (2015). Alcohol use among adolescent youth: The role of friendship networks and family factors in multiple school studies. PLoS ONE, 10(3), e0119965.

    PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • *Wang, C., Hipp, J. R., Butts, C. T., Jose, R., & Lakon, C. M. (2016). Coevolution of adolescent friendship networks and smoking and drinking behaviors with consideration of parental influence. Psychology of Addictive Behaviors, 30(3), 312.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • *Wang, C., Hipp, J. R., Butts, C. T., Jose, R., & Lakon, C. M. (2017). Peer influence, peer selection and adolescent alcohol use: A simulation study using a dynamic network model of friendship ties and alcohol use. Prevention Science, 18(4), 382–393.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Wang, J., Simons-Morton, B. G., Farhat, T., & Luk, J. W. (2009). Socio-demographic variability in adolescent substance use: Mediation by parents and peers. Prevention Science, 10(4), 387–396.

    PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Wasserman, S., & Faust, K. (1994). Social network analysis: Methods and applications (Vol. 8). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

Work on this review was supported by a Competitive Innovative Research award from the University of Maryland School of Social Work to Angela Henneberger. The authors would like to thank reviewers for comments that helped to clarify our presentation of this review. We also thank Erika Quito for assistance in collecting and coding studies for this review, and we thank Dr. Nancy Deutsch for helpful comments on a previous version of this manuscript.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Contributions

AH conceived of the study, participated in its design and coordination, and drafted the manuscript; DM participated in the collection and coding of studies for this review and drafted sections of the manuscript; AP helped to code studies for this review and helped to draft the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Angela K. Henneberger.

Ethics declarations

Conflict of interest

The authors report no conflict of interest.

Ethical Approval

This review was a synthesis of already published quantitative studies. No ethical approval or informed consent were needed.

Additional information

Publisher's Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Henneberger, A.K., Mushonga, D.R. & Preston, A.M. Peer Influence and Adolescent Substance Use: A Systematic Review of Dynamic Social Network Research. Adolescent Res Rev 6, 57–73 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40894-019-00130-0

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40894-019-00130-0

Keywords

Navigation