The influence of parent and peer disapproval on youth marijuana use mediated by youth risk perception: Focusing on the state comparison

Background: The prevention of youth marijuana use has become a national priority in the United States. This study examined the influence of parent and peer disapproval on youth marijuana use, mediated by youth risk perception. Because the legal status of marijuana use can influence individual perceptions of the drug, this study investigated differences in the mediating mechanism between youth living in states with medical marijuana legalization (MML) and those living in non-MML states. Methods: The 2019 National Survey of Drug Use and Health was used with a youth population aged 12–17 years (N = 2293). Structural equation modeling and bias-corrected bootstrapping were used to examine hypothesized path models and to evaluate the mediating effect of youth risk perception. Result: Findings demonstrated that parent and peer disapproval significantly increased youth risk perception of marijuana and reduced youth marijuana use. Second, youth risk perception significantly mediated the association between parent and peer disapproval and youth marijuana use. Third, parent disapproval had a more significant direct effect on youth marijuana use, while peer disapproval had a more significant indirect effect on youth marijuana use via youth risk perception. Finally, the results showed a similar pattern in the mechanism between youths living in MML states compared with those in non-MML states in terms of significance and direction. Conclusion: The findings suggested a need for improvements in marijuana related policies for both MML and non-MML states. Moreover, parent and peer focused strategies for education and prevention concerning marijuana use among youth are emphasized.