Abstract
Introduction: adolescents can potentially participate in cultural and sports activities that favor their development or engage in risk behaviors such (as the use of substances) that hinder their well-being. The severity of the damage that substance consumption generates at the individual, family and social level means that its study continues to try to explain the phenomenon and programs are designed that seek to solve this multifactorial problem. Objective: to identify internal and external assets that predict no substance use in early adolescents. Method: the Assets Scale for Early Adolescents and part of the Questionnaire on Risk Behavior for Adolescents were used. 1003 students from the city of Xalapa, Veracruz participated. 59.8% were women and 40.2% men (M = 13 years, DE = .91). Results: for both sexes the assets that predict the non-use of substances were Resistance to peer pressure, Friends without risk behaviors, Supervision of the mother and avoiding risk behaviors, in Addition to the assets of decision-making and Healthy friends for women and the Importance of the health and Positive influence of peers (behavior) for men. Discussion and conclusions: the results indicate that from the model of developmental strengths it is possible to design prevention programs for consumption in adolescents.
