The correlates of addiction concern among adolescents at high risk for drug abuse.

Abstract

A teenager's awareness that he or she is becoming a drug addict or alcoholic is likely to lead that youth to try to get treatment. This report examined correlates of addiction concern among a sample of youth at high risk for drug abuse. Approximately 36% of a sample of 274 students at two southern California continuation high schools perceived themselves at risk for drug or alcohol addiction. Whereas 15 of 25 demographic, drug use, social psychological, or health orientation related variables were associated with an addiction concern measure in bivariate analyses, after partialing out covariation among its correlates, three drug use indices, two items that measured the importance of health as a value, and an assertiveness measure remained significant nonredundant correlates of addiction concern. These results suggest a potential importance of both manipulation of health motivation and social skills instruction in facilitating the prevention of adolescent drug abuse.