Students who change schools between eighth and ninth grade are more likely to drink alcohol, according to new research.
Adolescents who switched to another school during that time reported significantly higher rates of drinking alcohol than those who remained in the same building, according to recently published research by Northeastern University assistant sociology, criminology and criminal justice professor Cassie McMillan and fourth-year criminology and justice policy Ph.D. student Kaley Jones. Tobacco use remained the same.
“We think (these findings reflect) the norms that are associated with different types of substance use,” McMillan says. “Our data is from kids who graduated high school in the 2010s. That was a time where drinking alcohol was very much associated with popularity while smoking cigarettes did not bring status gains. As kids are moving to this new environment, they’re trying to make new friends and better fit in. They might increase their alcohol use to try to gain popularity and climb the status hierarchy.”
