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Section 4: Antisocial Behaviors and Symptoms of Depression. This section presents data on antisocial behaviors, students reporting being attacked or threatened on school property, and gang membership.

Section 5: Risk and Protective Factors. This section of the report presents data on the risk and protective factor scores.

Section 6: Additional Prevention Planning Data . This section presents data on items such as perceived risk of harm, frequency of weapons usage, and disapproval of drug use.

For readers, it is worth pointing out that Sections 2, 3, 4, and 5 each begins with a focused summary of what appears to be the most important trends. As readers make their way through these sections, as well as Section 6, a focus on 12th graders and how they differ from other young Pennsylvanians, becomes quite apparent. This focus on 12th graders is intentional. Since the 2005 PAYS ATOD data, as well as other data, for 12th graders tells such a clear and convincing story, it seems worth guiding readers, especially prevention planners and providers, through the daunting task of digesting hundreds of data tables.

Alcohol Still Remains the Drug of Choice. Of Pennsylvania’s 6th, 8th, 10th and 12th graders, alcohol is still the most frequently used substance. The reported willingness of PA students to try or use alcohol, however, has declined steadily from 60.2% in 1989 to 17.5% in 2001. Reports of drinking and driving have also declined, from 14.5% in 1989 to 6.7% in 2001.

Cigarette Smoking Has Declined. Smoking rates among all surveyed students has declined since the mid-1990s, with just 15.4% reporting current use. Among high school seniors, current use of cigarettes has dropped from a peak of 40.4% in 1997 to 31.9% in 2001. In addition, 86.1% of all surveyed students agreed that nicotine is an addictive drug.

Low Current Rates of Use for Certain Drugs. Current use rates of inhalants, methamphetamines, club drugs, cocaine, crack, hallucinogens, heroin and steroids are very low among all PA students (1.9% and lower).

Club Drug, Stimulants and Depressant Use on the Rise. Stimulant, depressant and club drug use rates – although still low – have increased since the mid-1990s. In the past five years, current club drug use among seniors has increased 2.7 percentage points to a high of 4.0% -- or one in 25 seniors.

Marijuana Use is on the Rise in PA – Mirroring National Trends. 21.1% of all surveyed students reported that they had used marijuana in their lifetime, and 11.4% reported current use. These rates are a part of a marked increase, both in Pennsylvania and across the nation, in marijuana use
since the early 1990s. In addition, the prevalence of marijuana use while driving has increased, from 7.5% of Pennsylvania high school seniors in 1989 to 16.0% in 2001. Willingness to try or use marijuana has also increased, from 26.0% of 12th graders in 1989 to 40.5% in 2001.

Gang Membership is Declining. In comparison to the 1997 Generation at Risk study, reports of gang membership have declined, particularly among 6th graders (from 12.4% in 1997 to 5.2% in 2001). Among high school seniors the percentage reporting gang membership dropped 1.7 percentage points to 4.6%, and the percentage with friends in gangs dropped 1.8 percentage points to 5.8%.

Carrying a Knife is the Most Prevalent Anti-Social Behavior. Overall, nearly one in six (16.4%) of surveyed students reported having carried a knife in the past year, making it the most prevalent antisocial behavior for students
in Pennsylvania. Males are more likely to carry (26.9%) than females (6.4%).

Students Report on Other Antisocial Behaviors. Of the surveyed students, approximately one-third reported having “been threatened to be hit or beaten up,” and nearly 10% reported having attacked someone with intent to cause harm in the past year. Males in particular are more inclined to
attack (12.9% reported) as opposed to females (6.3%).

While sharing many of the characteristics of youth around the rest of the United States, Pennsylvania’s youth are, in many aspects, unique. By capturing this information, PAYS 2001 provides state and local communities the knowledge they need to maintain and develop existing strengths – and to target key problem areas for improvement.

"A wide disconnect exists between what teens are thinking and feeling and what parents believe about their teens when it comes to attitudes about drug use," said Steve Pasierb, president and CEO of the Partnership. "This is a pivotal opportunity for parents to understand what motivates today's teens to engage in this type of risky behavior, and to communicate the very real dangers and risks, while offering their kids support and guidance on dealing with pressure in a healthy way."

In previous PATS Teens studies, when teen respondents were asked to select from a number of reasons for using drugs, the number one reason (65 percent) selected was to "feel cool." The 2007 study was the first to offer the option of selecting school stress as a motivator, one which nearly 3 out of 4 teens (73 percent) strongly agreed with.  This was followed closely by "feeling cool" (65 percent) and "feeling better about themselves" (65 percent).