Neformální sociální sítě jako cesta k návykovým látkám u mladistvých dívek
Informal social networks as pathways to drug access among adolescent girls

Summary/Abstract: First contact with illicit drugs among adolescent girls is most commonly conceptualised as a form of individual risk behaviour, whereas considerably less attention has been paid to the social mechanisms through which these substances become accessible. The aim of this study was to examine the circumstances surrounding first contact with illicit drugs, the sources through which they were obtained, and the role of informal social networks in facilitating access to these substances. The research employed Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) based on semi-structured interviews with adolescent girls placed in residential care institutions. The findings indicate that initial contact with illicit drugs was most commonly mediated through peers, siblings, or other individuals within the girls’ immediate social environment. Access to drugs was embedded primarily in informal social networks, which also contributed to the normalisation of drug use and the gradual progression to experimentation with other psychoactive substances. The findings highlight the importance of the social environment in shaping adolescent girls’ pathways to illicit drug use and underline the need for prevention strategies that address not only individual risk factors but also the social relationships and environments in which access to drugs is facilitated.

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