“Three sheets to the wind”: Substance use in teen-centered film from 1980 to 2007
Keywords
Substance use, film, adolescents, social learning, content analysis
Abstract
The issue of substance use in America is a serious public health concern, and while some substances show downward trends, current levels of adolescent use and abuse are alarming. Film has become a popular form of entertainment among teenagers and provides images from which teens model behaviors and form attitudes. This study examines substance use among adult and teen characters in the top grossing teen-centered films from 1980 to 2007. This content analysis examines the frequency and nature of substance portrayals and the consequences of use. The results show that substance use is largely consequence free and socially approved. No gender differences exist in the percent of users to nonusers. While users and nonusers do not differ in social status, users were portrayed as more attractive than nonusers. A higher percentage of users are Caucasian and adults. The vast majority of characters were not even given the choice to accept or refuse substances, and of those offered, few rejected. Finally, this study provides evidence that in the realm of teen-centered movies, the trend in substance use has been surprisingly downward across the decades.
Original Publication Citation
Callister, M., Coyne, S. M., Robinson, T., Davies, J. J., *Near, C., *Valkenburg, L. (2012). “Three sheets to the wind”: Substance Use in Teen-centered Film from 1980-2007. Addiction, Research, & Theory, 20, 30-41.
BYU ScholarsArchive Citation
Callister, Mark; Coyne, Sarah; Robinson, Tom; Davies, John E.; Near, Christopher R.; Valkenburg, Lynn Van; and Gillespie, Jason Robert, "“Three sheets to the wind”: Substance use in teen-centered film from 1980 to 2007" (2009). Faculty Publications. 2341.
https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/facpub/2341
Document Type
Peer-Reviewed Article
Publication Date
2009-05-28
Permanent URL
http://hdl.lib.byu.edu/1877/5193
Publisher
Addiction Research and Theory
Language
English
College
Family, Home, and Social Sciences
Department
Family Life
Copyright Status
Copyright 2012 Informa UK Ltd.