Research project How can we understand use of substance among young people?

Why do young people use psychoactive substances? Has substance use become normalized or is it still best characterized as deviant? Knowledge about this is crucial for society, especially in efforts to understand and handle aggregate changes in prevalence and attitudes reported recently. Examples of this are increases in ecigarette smoking (vaping) among youth, together with decreases in tobacco smoking, alcohol drinking and cannabis risk perceptions among teenagers. In this project we have access to unique cohort data on youth born in 2001 (Futura01, financed by FORTE), and we will investigate the relevance of different theoretical models in explaining youth substance use and attitudes in this area. We will encompass both alcohol, illicit drugs and tobacco. The aim is to deepen the understanding of how to characterize youth substance use in contemporary Sweden, which facilitates developing adequate prevention interventions. We use baseline (9th school year) and follow up (11th school year) quantitative data, and qualitative interviews with some study participants to probe deeper into the dynamics of youth substance use, including its relation to cultural influences, lifestyles and peer groups. The theoretical models to be tested and compared against each other include normalization theory, risk factor models and problem behavior theory. The project is the first of its kind in Sweden. It will give knowledge on youth stances towards psychoactive substances, which is needed in efforts to promote health, positive development and equality. It will also give an important contribution to national and international research and theory building. The close collaboration between the research group and the Futura01-team (the Karolinska Institute and Swedish C ouncil for Information on Alcohol and Drugs (C AN) ensures interdisciplinary research advantages.