Do Social Bonds Matter? Social Control Theory and Its Relationship to Desistance From Substance Abuse in China

• Author: Guangzhen Wu,Shan Cui,Jianhong Liu,Francis D. Boateng,Honglan Shuai
• Date: 01 January 2021
• DOI: 10.1177/0022042620957020
• Published date: 01 January 2021
• Subject Matter: Articles

https://doi.org/10.1177/0022042620957020

Journal of Drug Issues

2021, Vol. 51(1) 50 –67

© The Author(s) 2020

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DOI: 10.1177/0022042620957020

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Article

Do Social Bonds Matter? Social

Control Theory and Its

Relationship to Desistance

From Substance Abuse in China

Guangzhen Wu1 , Jianhong Liu2 , Francis D. Boateng3,

Shan Cui2, and Honglan Shuai2

Abstract

This study examines the effects of social bonds on drug users’ desistance from substance

abuse, with a special focus on testing the applicability of social control theory in the

context of China. Using data from a sample of 419 Chinese drug users, this study reveals

salient influences of such bonding variables as familial attachment, involvement, belief, and

parenthood on drug users’ confidence and efforts in achieving abstinence, providing some

support for the arguments of social control theory. Given the limitations of institutional

response in dealing with substance abuse issues, these findings have important policy

implications for the direction of efforts to encourage desistance-related behavior among

substance abusers.

Keywords

social bonds, social control, substance abuse, desistance, China

Introduction

The use of illicit drugs has increasingly become a public concern in China in the last two

decades (Liu et al., 2020; Liu et al., 2018). As revealed by the China National Narcotic

Control Committee (CNNCC, 2018), the number of users has continued to increase, and

there were approximately 2.4 million illicit drug users at the end of 2018 (p. 1). It should be

noted that this is the number of drug users found and registered by the government. The real

number of drug abusers in China was estimated to be over 14 million in 2014 (CNNCC,

2015, p. 1). Notwithstanding the increasing trend in all illicit drug use, scholars have noted

that in comparison to the use of traditional drugs such as opium and heroin, there has been a

more dramatic increase in the abuse of new/nontraditional drugs (polydrugs), including

methamphetamine, ketamine, and ecstasy/3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA;

Liu et al., 2018). Recognizing the increasingly serious drug abuse issues, the Chinese

1University of Utah, Salt Lake City, USA

2University of Macau, Taipa, China

3The University of Mississippi, University, USA

Corresponding Author:

Jianhong Liu, Faculty of Law, University of Macau, E32-3005, Avenida da Universidade, Taipa, Macau, China.

Email: jliu@umac.mo

957020JODXXX10.1177/0022042620957020Journal of Drug IssuesWu et al.

research-article2020

Wu et al. 51

government has made efforts to deal with substance abuse and fight drug crimes, reflected

by the enactment of the Anti-Drug Law of China of 2007, as well as providing treatment

programs for identified drug users.

Despite these efforts from the government, it is still unclear if these drug policies have been

effective in reducing substance abuse in China, largely because of a lack of relevant evaluation

studies. However, the increasing rates of illicit drug use in the past two decades may serve as

opposing evidence suggesting the limits of government efforts, which represent formal social

control, in addressing the drug abuse problem in China. To develop a more effective approach

to tackle drug abuse, it is worthwhile to examine the role that informal social control plays in

stopping illicit drug use, especially considering the chronic nature of drug addiction and the

high rate of relapse.

Emphasizing the function of informal social control, Hirschi’s (1969) social control theory

proposes that the social bonds individuals form with conventional society prevent them from

engaging in criminal or deviant behavior. This theory provides a theoretical framework for

understanding the behavior of illicit drug users. Indeed, in recent years, there has been growing

scholarly attention paid to the influence of different forms of social bonds on the likelihood of

drug users’ abstinence/relapse, although these studies remain limited (Liu et al., 2018; Yang &

Xia, 2010; Yang & Yang, 2017). The results of these studies generally confirm the theoretical

expectations of the social control theory. However, it is worth noting that most of these available

studies were conducted in Western countries, whereas studies focusing on Chinese drug users are

rare (Liu et al., 2018; Yang & Xia, 2010). The lack of research in this vein does not allow us to

see the applicability of social control theory to the behavior of users of illicit drugs in China, a

country with a culture distinct from Western countries (Wu et al., 2018).

As Winterdyk & Cao (2004) pointed out, the increasing global influence of China has made it

strategically important in evaluating the generalizability of Western originated theories and in

advancing the internationalization of sociological and criminological knowledge. In effect, as

scholars have noted, criminological theories have been largely formulated within the Western

context, especially the American context, and “often implicitly assumed to be valid elsewhere

and universally applicable to human behavior in other contexts” (Liu, 2007, p. 4). However, the

external validity of these theories is largely a question that needs to be investigated, as differen-

tial societal contexts may alter theoretical statements and policy considerations. It has been

widely recognized that Chinese culture emphasizes collectivism, family, shame, informal codes

of conduct, and respect for authority, which is different from that of the United States (Anderson

& Gil, 1998; Cao & Hou, 2001; Troyer & Rojek, 1989). Arguably, these distinct sociocultural

elements in China would influence the function of social bonds on deviant behavior including

substance abuse. For instance, the Chinese culture that values family relationships is highly rel-

evant to the function of such bonds as familial attachment and parenthood, in that it may increase

the influence of these familial bonds on illicit drug users’ desistence-related behavior. Therefore,

extending theoretical inquiries to China helps develop criminological knowledge. Also, China

provides an ideal research site for the purpose of this study given the increasing state of substance

abuse problem and the limitations of formal social control in dealing with this issue.

Moreover, a review of literature suggests that certain forms of bonds were rarely examined

regarding their relationship with drug users’ likelihood of abstinence or relapse. For instance, for

familial bond, previous research has predominantly focused on such variables as ties to parents

and marriage, while little attention has been paid to how parenthood (having children) affects

individuals’ illicit drug use behavior, though having children to take care of is an important form

of bond. In effect, prior research suggests that parenthood may affect substance abuse and desis-

tance behavior. For example, Labouvie (1996) found that individuals who have children to take

care of were more likely to stop illicit drug use than those who do not have children. Given the

cultural context in China that values family relationships (Anderson & Gil, 1998), it becomes