Criminology & Criminal Justice Theses and Dissertations

Permanent URI for this collectionhttp://hdl.handle.net/1903/2758

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The Effects of Marijuana Legalization on Adolescent Alcohol Consumption
(2019) Montano, Ashley Nicole; Dugan, Laura; Criminology and Criminal Justice; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)
Among researchers, there has been a long-standing debate on the issue of whether alcohol and marijuana are used as substitutes or complements of one another. In other words, does the increased usage of one decrease the usage of the other (substitution) or does usage of both substances simultaneously increase (complements)? The primary purpose of this study is to identify whether a suggested substitution or complementary effect exists among adolescent drinking patterns following the recent emergences of increased marijuana legalization. To explore these effects, data is used from 38 different states included in the Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System between the years 1995 and 2017. The primary analysis finds limited support for a substitution effect and no evidence of a complementary effect among adolescents. This study also includes a supplementary analysis providing implications for the direction of future research on the apparent relationship between alcohol and marijuana usage patterns.
Following the Leader: Examining peer influence on sexual behavior
(2009) Bears, Megan Ann; McGloin, Jean M; Criminology and Criminal Justice; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)
A number of previous studies have found that peers influence adolescent sexual behavior. Still, it remains unclear how the mechanisms of peer influence operate on the sexual behavior of adolescents. This is unfortunate because it limits theoretical clarity and inhibits the production of policy aimed at reducing adolescent sexual behavior. Using data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health, this thesis extends upon current literature and determines the role of peer attitudes and behaviors on different forms of adolescent sexual behavior as measured by peer self-report data while addressing other limitations of previous research such as whether or not mechanisms of peer influence are conditioned by adolescent involvement with peers. The discussion of this work centers around the theoretical implications of the findings that peers do not influence all forms of sexual behavior and peer behaviors seem to be the only mechanism of peer influence that predict sexual onset.