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Reviewing the Relationship Between School Factors and Substance Use for Elementary, Middle, and High School Students

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Abstract

This paper provides a summary of school-related variables that have been shown to relate to substance use in elementary, middle, and high school populations. Forty-one empirical studies and two review articles, published from 1972 to 1996, were reviewed to determine time-ordered and concomitant relationships between school factors and substance use. Grade point average, absenteeism, educational plans, year in school, and high school noncompletion were among the most frequently studied variables. Studies found correlational and antecedent relationships between school-related factors and substance use among the population of interest. The causal and mediational nature of these relationships is discussed.

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Dewey, J.D. Reviewing the Relationship Between School Factors and Substance Use for Elementary, Middle, and High School Students. The Journal of Primary Prevention 19, 177–225 (1999). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1022647910711

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