Online report 05/07 - Predictive factors for illicit drug use among young people: a literature review

This report presents the findings from a literature review commissioned by the Home Office which identifies factors associated with increased risk of illicit drug use among young people.

The report identifies a diverse range of factors linked to increased risk of drug use and factors which protect against drug use. The evidence points to associations between risk and protective factors which are both time and context dependent and operate on people taking drugs for disparate reasons.

The authors present a developmental framework to illustrate the developmental nature of risk factors for drug use amongst young people and to highlight how these factors are not discrete entities but have complex interactions. These interactions are based on both the type of factor and the number of factors an individual is exposed to.