Figured Worlds of Addiction: A Content Analysis of 10 YAL Texts

While the opioid epidemic rages on in the US, adolescent drug use and abuse is often left unaddressed in university and public-school classrooms. In an effort to support educator’s conversations with youth about drug and alcohol addiction, this study draws on the theory of figured worlds to conduct a critical content analysis of 10 YAL novels to understand how adolescents with addiction are constructed within the selected texts. Our findings detail three themes that work together to construct figured worlds in which: the majority of protagonists in the texts are middle class, white, teenage girls; the protagonists’ experiences around addiction are preceded by one or a series of traumatic events; and, due to their privilege, the protagonists have ready access to rehabilitation facilities and other mental health supports. We offer both implications for our findings and directions for future research.