The Influence of Delinquent Peer Affiliation on Substance Use: The Moderating Effects of Anxiety and Depression

Although the effects of peer substance use on adolescent substance use are well documented, little is known about whether internalizing behaviors—anxiety and depression—exacerbate or attenuate the link between peer substance use and substance use. The present study uses data from the 12- and 15-year-old cohorts from the Project on Human Development in Chicago Neighborhoods (PHDCN) and multivariate generalized regression models to examine whether anxiety and/or depression moderate peer effects on adolescent substance use. Results indicate that adolescents who exhibited high anxiety and depressive symptoms are uninfluenced by their peers’ substance use, but those who exhibit lower levels of anxiety and depressive symptoms use substances more when they have more substance using peers. Our findings support social learning and peer contagion explanations of substance use, but suggest these processes are contingent on current emotional states. Interventions should consider the differential effects of peers given one’s level of anxiety and depression