Vol. 7, No. 2, 2001
Substance Use Increases Dramatically in
AFM Youth Clients Between Grades 8 and 9
G
rowing up is hard to do…especially when you are in
the middle of it. Most adults can remember the stresses
and anxieties, along with the excitement and challenge,
of the increased independence and responsibilities that go
along with adolescence.
As a right of passage, or perhaps as a means
to cope, many adolescents take risks, including
smoking cigarettes, drinking alcohol and taking
drugs. While some experimentation with such
substances often occurs at this age, consistent
or prolonged use can become a dangerous habit.
One of the goals of the Addictions Foundation
of Manitoba is to prevent the abuse of substances
among youth clients through its work in rural
and urban Manitoba schools.
Recent data gathered and analyzed by AFM researchers
indicates one high risk group to target for prevention:
grade nine youth clients. The data comes from intake
forms completed by 450 AFM youth clients. Participants
are from 24 schools across Manitoba.
Researchers Brian Broszeit and David Brown looked at
fifteen indicators – ranging from cannabis use to underage
drinking to depression. They found that each one showed
a dramatic increase from grade eight to grade nine.
“On a wide range of indicators, it appears as though
grade nine is a critical point,” says Brown.
Examples include methamphetamine/speed use,
which increased from 4.3% of youth clients in grade
eight to 15.8% in grade nine. Similarly, 67.4% of grade
eight youth clients reported that they smoked tobacco,
compared to 82.2% of those in grade nine.
Cannabis use increased from 80.2% in grade
eight to 93.1% in grade nine, and one quarter
more grade niners (62%) than grade eighters
(37.8%) used other drugs (LSD/acid, PCP, Angel dust,
mescaline, etc.).
These findings are not limited to substance abuse.
Broszeit and Brown also discovered sharp increases in
other indicators, including sexual activity, anxiety, depression,
Continued…
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perpetrating a physical assault and receiving charges or
convictions for a criminal offence.
GENDER DIFFERENCES
Some gender differences exist in all 15 indicators,
but the differences between male and female use of
methamphetamines/speed and tobacco is worth mentioning.
For male youth clients, the use of methamphetamines/
speed increased only slightly between grade eight and
nine – 7.9% to 11.1%. For girls, however, use skyrocketed:
from zero in grade eight to 23.8% in grade nine. Smoking
cigarettes also increased more between grade eight and
grade nine for girls (68.3% to 87.1%) than boys (66.7%
to 79.2%). (See chart.)
Leah MacInnes, AFM youth counsellor, says a possible
reason for girls’ involvement with these substances is their
preoccupation with body image at that age. “Girls are more
100
90
80
Percentage of AFM Youth Clients
POSSIBLE EXPLANATIONS
While this data analysis does not investigate why an
increase in various indicators exists at the grade nine level
for AFM youth clients, it does raise a number of questions
that could be followed up.
For example, Laura Goossen of AFM’s Youth
Community-Based Prevention/Education Services says
that increased risk-taking behaviour at this grade level
could stem from a combination of things. “At this age,
adolescents are trying out adult behaviours – they want
to see themselves as grown-up,” she says.
As well, youth clients could be reacting to exposure
to older students, especially if they have moved from an
elementary/middle grade school to a high school. “Youth
may be exposed to certain behaviours for the first time, and
may want assert their independence by giving it a try,”
says Goossen.
Another factor may be the stress of a new environment.
To cope with a new school and new people, some youth
may turn to substance abuse.
Percentage of AFM Youth Clients Using
Various Substances in Grade 8, 9, 10 & 11
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
Boys
Girls
Grade 8
Tobacco
Methamphetamines/Speed
Grade 9
Grade 10
Grade 11
Other Drugs (LSD, PCP, etc.)
Cannabis
concerned than boys about their weight – we know from
statistics on eating disorders that far more girls than boys
are diagnosed,” says MacInnes. Both speed and nicotine
are stimulants; they are known to reduce appetite and
speed up the metabolism, thereby acting to control weight.
These drugs also act as mood enhancers. In the AFM
data, more girls reported depression (81.3% of grade nine
girls compared to 55% of boys). Follow-up research could
investigate whether youth take these drugs in an attempt
to fight feelings of depression.
Note: The data used in this discussion are from AFM youth
clients in Manitoba schools. The findings may not apply to the
general student population of Manitoba.