Monitoring the Future Survey

FIGURE 33-1. Trends in illicit drug use in eighth, tenth, and twelfth graders from the Monitoring the Future Survey. Data from reference 2. 

Although surveys such as the Monitoring the Future Survey and the National Youth Tobacco Survey provide the most accurate prevalence estimates available for substance use among adolescents, these surveys are restricted to adolescents attending school and so exclude truants and school dropouts. Because these excluded groups are also at increased risk for substance use, the prevalence rates provided by these surveys very likely underestimate the true prevalence rates. 

National Institute on Drug Abuse. 2002 Monitoring The Future Survey Shows Decrease in Use of Marijuana, Club Drugs, Cigarettes, and Tobacco. Accessed at http //www.nida.nih.giv/Newsroom/02/NR12-16.html. 

Most people believe AAS users take them because they want to improve their physical appearance. In fact, teens surveyed named this for a primary reason, as opposed to improving sport performance. One study found AAS users tend to have more narcissistic personalities traits, defined as excessive admiration of oneself, and have less empathy. It is unclear whether these traits contribute to starting AASs or result from the use of steroids. Adolescents are less likely than they were a decade ago to disapprove of short-term steroid use or to view it as a great risk. In the 2001 Monitoring the Future survey, 60% saw it as a great risk compared to 70% in... 

Marijuana can make kids mess up in school, in sports or clubs, and with friends. According to the United States Department of Health and Human Services Monitoring the Future survey, marijuana has been shown to damage motivation and interest in one s goals and activities. 

National Institute on Drug Abuse Capsule, "Facts About Teenagers and Drug Abuse," Monitoring the Future Survey, 1997. 

According to the 2003 National Household Survey on Drug Abuse, more than 20 million Americans age 12 and older have admitted to using LSD at least once in their lives. The 2005 Monitoring the Future Survey found that 3.5% of twelfth graders had used LSD at some point in the past, while 1.8% had used it within the last year. 

Exploring some other data can help determine if this possibility has any support. For example, the Monitoring the Future Survey does ask about daily use of marijuana. (The survey also gathers information on the daily use of alcohol and tobacco. The daily use of other drugs by students is too small to be measured with any meaning.)... 

The differences between the results of the Monitoring the Future Survey and the National Household Survey may be a reflection of the different survey methods employed. Therefore, it is more important to compare changes over time within a survey rather than results between surveys. 

NIDA. 2008. Monitoring the future survey. National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), National Institutes of Health (NTH) http //www.nida.nih.gov/Drugpages/MTF.html. 

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