This is a study of the relationship between youths' attitudes toward their family, other aspects of their lives and their drug use. The study is based on the responses of a representative sample of 8,553 public school students in New York State. Students in the seventh through twelfth grades were surveyed in the Winter of 1974/75. A concise index of family affinity (closeness) was developed. Family affinity was found to be positively related to students' interest in school and who they would go to for help with a drug problem. Family closeness was negatively related to willing to take risks, friends' use of drugs, and students' own drug use. Family closeness was not related to family composition or socio-economic level.
The epidemiology of drug use among New York State high school students: Distribution, trends, and change in rates of use.
