The use of psychoactive substances among Dutch and Italian adolescents: The contribution of personal and relational resources and vulnerabilities.

Adolescent substance use is constantly high or increasing in Western countries. There is still limited knowledge about the interrelations between the different substances and the diverse aspects of adolescent functioning that may affect this phenomenon. The present cross-national study is aimed to explore the presence of a constellation of different substances and the relationships between substance use and personal and relational resources and vulnerabilities drawn from the problem behaviour theory by Jessor, Donovan, and Costa (1991). The sample consisted of 970 Italian and Dutch adolescents. In both countries, cumulative scale analyses showed the presence of a constellation among the different types of substances. Furthermore, the higher the personal resources and the more positive the models the lower the use of different substances by both Dutch and Italian adolescents. Conversely, the higher the relational vulnerabilities the higher also was the involvement in drugs. However, the explained variance was lower with respect to illegal drugs other than marijuana. The findings are also discussed in terms of their suggestions for successful prevention.