Revisiting the Relationship between Adolescent Drug use and High School Dropout

Abstract

Compared to youth who stay in high school and graduate, those who drop out are more likely to be involved in drug use. However, the exact reason these two behaviors are connected is uncertain. Whereas some studies suggest that drug use puts youth at risk for dropout, others find that both behaviors are part of a larger pattern of adolescent problem behavior caused by early academic setbacks. Using a sample (N=11,395) of students from the National Education Longitudinal Study (NELS), this study examines the relationship between illegal drug use in tenth grade and later dropout. Propensity score matching is used to pair drug users with non-users who are similar on a wide array of characteristics measured in eighth grade that are predictive of both drug use and dropout. Results indicate that drug use is associated with dropping out even after adjusting for these factors. Implications for dropout prevention are discussed.