Youth subcultures, characterized by a distinctive lifestyle, music preference, shared values and behaviors, are associated with substance use. The aim of this study was to explore whether protective factors such as parental monitoring, parental bonding and parental substance abstinence affect the association between subculture affiliation and adolescents’ substance use.
We used data from 15-year-old elementary school pupils (N = 1,380; mean age = 15.47; response 79.5%) who participated in the Health Behaviour in School aged Children 2009/2010 study. The association between subculture affiliation and substance use (smoking, drinking alcohol, drunkenness, and cannabis use) was adjusted for parental monitoring, parental bonding and parental substance abstinence for boys and girls separately using logistic regression.
Adolescents affiliated to one of the selected youth subcultures were significantly more likely to use substances than other 15-years-olds, except for cannabis use in girls. Adjustment for parental monitoring reduced the association between subculture affiliation and substance use by 31-64% in girls and by 10-23% in boys. Adjustment for parental bonding and parental substance abstinence led to no changes or minor changes.
After adjustments for protective factors, subculture affiliation remained significantly associated with substance use. The role of protective factors in adolescents with a subculture affiliation regarding substance use is rather limited.
Our findings imply that preventive strategies targeting youth subcultures should take protective factors into account and be gender-specific.
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