The perceived causes of drug use and their interrelationship were examined by network analysis. Subjects were asked in a free-response format to nominate causes of drug use. The 10 most frequently cited causes were used as labels on a matrix, and subjects were asked to determine whether there was a cause-and-effect link between each pair of nominated causes. Individual matrices were combined, and the composite matrix was subjected to network analysis. The results indicate that subjects view personal problems (stress and depression) and peer-related societal acceptance as important causal factors in drug use. These findings are discussed with respect to current approaches to the drug problem.
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