Beliefs About Peer Norms

Abstract

The Beliefs About Peer Norms scale is a concise psychological scale developed to measure an individual’s perception of their close friends’ substance use behaviors and attitudes toward drug and alcohol consumption. Developed by Hansen and McNeal in 1997, this instrument is primarily utilized in the evaluation of adolescent substance abuse prevention programs, such as the Drug Abuse Resistance Education (D.A.R.E.) program. The scale assesses both descriptive norms (perceived prevalence of peer drug use) and injunctive norms (perceived peer approval or disapproval of drug use), which are critical mediating variables in predicting adolescent risk behavior.

Keywords

Peer influence, Social norms, Substance use, Drug prevention, Adolescence, Alcohol, Marijuana, Descriptive norms, Injunctive norms, D.A.R.E.

Authors

Hansen, W.B., McNeal, R.B.

Purpose

The primary purpose of the Beliefs About Peer Norms instrument is to quantitatively assess the perceived social environment surrounding adolescent substance use. Misperceptions of peer norms—where individuals overestimate the prevalence or acceptability of risky behaviors among their peers—are strongly linked to increased personal engagement in those behaviors. Therefore, this scale serves as a vital tool for researchers and practitioners to measure the effectiveness of prevention initiatives aimed at correcting these normative misperceptions.

Specifically, in the context of the 1997 research by Hansen and McNeal concerning the D.A.R.E. program, the scale was used to determine if program participation successfully altered students’ erroneous beliefs regarding their peers’ involvement with substances like alcohol and marijuana. It provides insight into the cognitive mechanisms through which peer pressure operates and how prevention programs might intervene.

Construct

The scale measures the psychological construct of perceived Social Norms, specifically focusing on substance use. This construct is generally broken down into two components addressed by the scale items:

• Descriptive Norms: These items assess the respondent’s belief about how frequently their peers actually engage in substance use (e.g., “How many of your closest friends do you think have used marijuana during the past 30 days?”).
• Injunctive Norms: These items assess the respondent’s belief about what behaviors their peers approve or disapprove of (e.g., “What would your best friends think if you tried using marijuana?”).

Understanding these perceived norms is fundamental in health education and prevention science, as perceived norms often exert a stronger influence on behavior than actual norms.

Validity

While specific detailed psychometric reports are housed within the primary academic publication, the scale’s validity is supported by its direct derivation from social norms theory, which posits that perceived peer behavior is a strong predictor of individual behavior. In the context of the Hansen and McNeal (1997) study, the instrument demonstrated construct validity by functioning as a key mediating variable: changes in perceived peer norms predicted subsequent changes in substance use behavior following intervention exposure. Researchers should consult the original journal article in Health Education & Behavior for detailed statistical evidence supporting its use in evaluating prevention program efficacy.

Reliability

Reliability statistics, typically measured using internal consistency metrics such as Cronbach’s alpha, are generally reported within the original research documentation. Given the scale’s function in tracking changes over time in longitudinal studies, it is expected to possess adequate test-retest reliability. Researchers using this brief instrument often combine the items into subscales reflecting overall perceived substance use prevalence and perceived peer disapproval, with the reliability of these derived scores detailed in the 1997 publication.

Factor Analysis

Although the scale is brief (8 items), factor analysis is typically conducted to confirm that the items cluster into the theorized dimensions of descriptive norms (prevalence of use) and injunctive norms (attitudes toward use). The items related to the quantity of friends using substances (marijuana, alcohol, hard drugs) likely load onto a Descriptive Norms factor, while items related to peer feelings about drug use and statements like “It is cool to get drunk” likely load onto an Injunctive Norms factor. The use of this instrument in the Core Measures Initiative suggests that its factor structure was deemed appropriate for widespread application in prevention program evaluation.

Instrument

Test Type: Self-report psychological scale

Format: Multiple-choice and fixed-response options (e.g., frequency estimates and Likert-style agreement/disagreement)

Language Available: English (Original)

Population Group: Adolescents and youth

Age Group: Typically middle school or high school age, consistent with the target demographic for D.A.R.E. and similar substance abuse prevention programs.

Population Details: Students participating in school-based prevention programs.

Test Methodology: The instrument is administered as a paper-and-pencil or electronic survey. Scoring involves quantifying the perceived frequency of peer substance use and the strength of perceived peer approval/disapproval.

Keywords

Peer norms, Adolescent risk behavior, Prevention science, Drug use measurement, Descriptive norms, Injunctive norms, D.A.R.E., Health Education & Behavior, Substance abuse.

Authors

Author ORCID Identifier: Not provided in the source material. (W.B. Hansen is associated with Tanglewood Research Inc.)

Affiliation Email addresses: [email protected]

Correspondence Address: Tanglewood Research Inc., 701 Albert Pick Road, Greensboro, NC 27409

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

The scale was published and utilized in 1997. Specific details regarding licensing fees are not provided in the source material; however, the instrument was included in the public domain document, “Core Measures Initiative Phase I Recommendations,” suggesting it is often used freely for research and program evaluation purposes. The contact information for W.B. Hansen is provided for permission requests or detailed inquiries regarding the scale’s use. The original PDF containing the instrument can be downloaded here: http://vvv.dmhas.state.ct.us/sig/pdf/uconn/core_measures.pdf

Reference’s

• Hansen, W.B., & McNeal, R.B. (1997). How D.A.R.E. works: An examination of program effects on mediating variables. Health Education & Behavior, 24(2): 165-176.
• Center for Substance Abuse Prevention. (n.d.). Core Measures Initiative Phase I Recommendations. [Instrument found on pages 97-99].

Items of the Beliefs About Peer Norms

IMPORTANT: The following scale items must be preserved in their original language and must not be changed in any way.

1. How many of your closest friends do you think have used marijuana during the past 30 days?

All of them/ Most of them /Some of them/ None of them

2. How many of your closest friends do you think have been drunk during the past 30 days?

All of them/ Most of them/ Some of them/ None of them

3. What would your best friends think if you tried using marijuana?

They would be angry with me

They would be a little upset

They wouldn’t care one way or the other

They would accept me

They would be glad

4. People who use drugs are stupid. How do you think your closest friends feel about this/statement?

Strongly agree/ Agree/ Disagree/ Strongly disagree

5. How hard or easy is it for you to get along with other people?

They would be angry with me

They would be a little upset

They wouldn’t care one way or the other

They would accept me

They would be glad

6. How many of your closest friends do you think have had some kind of alcoholic beverage during the past 30 days?

Never/ Sometimes‚ but not often/ Often/ All the time

7. It is cool to get drunk. How do you think your closest friends feel about this statement?

Strongly agree/ Agree/ Disagree/ Strongly disagree

8. How many of your closest friends do you think have used a drug like cocaine or heroin during the past 30 days?

All of them/ Most of them/ Some of them/ None of them.