Adolescent Substance Users Research Articles

The Development of a Measure of Motivation to Change in Adolescent Substance Users: Preliminary Findings

ABSTRACT Assessing motivation to change in adolescent substance abusers is necessary in order to match treatment interventions to stage of change. This article describes the initial development and validation of an adolescent-specific multi-dimensional scale to measure motivation to change related to substance use. Preliminary psychometric findings reveal adequate internal consistency and a factor structure corresponding to the inventory's subscales. Higher order factor analysis demonstrated the presence of a higher order factor (motivation to change) on which six of seven factors loaded. Cluster analysis revealed the presence of three groups, characterized as experimenters, precontemplators, and contemplators. Implications for future research and for practice are discussed.

Understanding Gender Differences in Adolescent Drug Abuse: Issues of Comorbidity and Family Functioning

Female adolescent drug use has increased dramatically in the last 30 years, and there is a growing consensus that the syndrome of female adolescent substance abuse is different from the well-recognized male pattern. Gender differences in patterns of comorbidity and family functioning were investigated in a sample of 95 youths (42 girls and 53 boys) referred for substance abuse treatment. The findings indicate that male and female adolescent substance users differ in several clinically meaningful ways. The results from a discriminant function analysis indicate that substance-using adolescents referred to treatment are distinguished especially by the greater degree to which girls have internalizing symptoms and family dysfunction. The clinical implications of these gender differences are articulated.

Cannabis dependence, withdrawal, and reinforcing effects among adolescents with conduct symptoms and substance use disorders

The prevalence of cannabis use is rising among adolescents, many of whom perceive little risk from cannabis. However, clinicians who treat adolescent substance users hear frequent reports of serious cannabis-use disorders and problems. This study asked whether cannabis produced dependence and withdrawal among such patients, and whether patients' reports supported previous laboratory findings of reinforcing effects from cannabis. This was a screening and diagnostic study of serial treatment admissions. The diagnostic standard was the DSM-III-R dependence criteria, and the setting was a university-based adolescent substance treatment program with male residential and female outpatient services. The patients were 165 males and 64 females from consecutive samples of 255 male and 85 female 13–19-year-olds referred for substance and conduct problems (usually from social service or criminal justice agencies). Eighty-seven patients were not evaluated, usually due to early elopement. Twenty-four others did not meet study admission criteria: ≥one dependence diagnoses and ≥three lifetime conduct-disorder symptoms. The main measures were items from diagnostic interview instruments for substance dependence, psychiatric disorders, and patterns of substance use. Diagnoses were substance dependence, 100%; current conduct disorder, 82.1%; major depression, 17.5%; attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, 14.8%. The results show that most patients claimed serious problems from cannabis, and 78.6% met standard adult criteria for cannabis dependence. Two-thirds of cannabis-dependent patients reported withdrawal. Progression from first to regular cannabis use was as rapid as tobacco progression, and more rapid than that of alcohol, suggesting that cannabis is a reinforcer. The data indicate that for adolescents with conduct problems cannabis use is not benign, and that the drug potently reinforces cannabis-taking, producing both dependence and withdrawal. However, findings from this severely affected clinical population should not be generalized broadly to all other adolescents.

Substance Misuse in Adolescence Questionnaire (SMA Q): A Pilot Study of a Screening Instrument for Problematic Use of Drugs and Volatile Substances in Adolescents

This paper reports piloting the development and testing of a quick screening questionnaire, consisting of nine simple questions, to be used in screening adolescent substance users for problematic use. Its internal consistency was .83. When compared to DSM-IIIR criteria and to a detailed semi-structured interview, it showed acceptable levels of specificity and sensitivity.

Group Work for Black Adolescent Substance Users:

Group counseling with black adolescent substance users has been noticeably absent from the literature. The author addresses some critical issues and provides some recommentdations when providing counseling with this population. The author's clinical experience forms the basis for this article.

Adolescent substance users: problem-solving abilities.

Cognitive ability and cognitive egocentrism were examined as predictors of problem-solving ability in adolescent substance users in a vocational training program. Problem-solving outcome variables were significantly predicted by two cognitive ability measures, as well as by measures of cognitive independence and egocentrism in thinking. Extent of substance use did not affect cognitive ability, cognitive egocentrism, or problem-solving ability.

Adolescents' multisubstance use patterns: the role of heavy alcohol and cigarette use.

Knowledge about the roles that heavy alcohol and cigarette use play in patterns of concurrent substance use among adolescents is lacking despite studies showing that adolescent substance users are typically multisubstance users and that alcohol and cigarettes are commonly used heavily by those who use illicit substances. The roles of increasing use and heavy first-time use of alcohol and cigarettes in multisubstance use patterns were examined in a cohort of 4192 secondary students who were surveyed three times over a 4-year period. When subsequent use patterns were compared for students who increased their levels of alcohol or cigarette use and those who initiated use for the first time but at heavy frequencies, analyses indicated that the former group was more likely to initiate the subsequent use of other substances and to maintain and increase use already initiated. These results suggest that adolescents are likely to have been involved in a history of licit substance use characterized by increasing levels of use before progressing to and maintaining the use of other substances. Increasing frequencies of alcohol and cigarette use, therefore, may be markers for more serious patterns of substance use.

Multidimensional Differences between Adolescent Substance Abusers and Users

High-school-aged adolescents responded to a 48-item survey about their substance use. From an original sample of 190 respondents, groups were created through consequence variables (e.g., school, family, medical, and legal problems) into abuse (n = 41) and use (n = 115) categories. Variables were organized along multidimensional lines: stimulus (e.g., frequency of substance use, use in school), organismic (e.g., age, grade), and response (e.g., driving a car while under the influence). From 27 comparisons of the abuse and use groups 16 significant differences emerged.

The Influence of Parenting Style on Adolescent Competence and Substance Use

An overview of the Family Socialization and Developmental Competence longitudinal program of research (FSP) is followed by a presentation of the hypotheses and findings pertaining to family patterns as determinants of adolescent competence, and of types of adolescent substance users. Data include clusters derived from comprehensive ratings of parents and their children completed independently within- and across-time periods at ages 4, 9, and 15 years. At Time 3 (T3), the sample included 139 adolescents and their parents from a predominantly affluent, well-educated, Caucasian population. Parenting types were identified that differ on the bases of commitment and balance of demandingness and responsiveness. Authoritative parents who are highly demanding and highly responsive were remarkably successful in protecting their adolescents from problem drug use, and in generating competence. Authoritative upbringing, although sufficient, is not a necessary condition to produce competent children. Casual recreational drug use was not associated with pathological attributes, either precursive or concurrent, although nonusers showed an increment in competence from Time 2 (T2) to Time 3 (T3).

Sensation seeking, state and trait anxiety, and depressive mood in adolescent substance users.

The following hypothesis has been tested: sensation seeking, A-state and A-trait, and depressive mood should positively affect adolescent substance use. The personality variables and alcohol and drug use were assessed among 1,900 Israel adolescents, 14 to 19 years old. The major findings were as follows: (a) Sensation seeking and availability significantly affected the "ever" and "current" substance use among adolescents. On the other hand, contrary to our hypothesis, neither A-trait nor depressive mood significantly affected substance use. (b) A-State affected the use of alcoholic beverages and nonprescribed medications. (c) The data emphasized the significant role of availability of drugs in the understanding of adolescents' substance use. The implications of these findings for interventions among adolescents are discussed.

Nutritional status of Native American adolescent substance users

Nutritional status of Native American adolescent substance users

Double depression in adolescent substance users

One hundred adolescent substance users were interviewed in a youth drop-in counseling center. The results indicated that 16% of the sample suffered from a nontransitory type of depression with a duration of at least one year with a superimposed major depressive disorder. The group with such double-depression was found to include significantly more alcohol dependent individuals as well as amphetamine abusers. The study gives further support to the DSM-III notion that depression is associated with substance use in adolescents.

Estimation oF Substance Use Involvement: Theoretical Considerations and Empirical Findings

The present study is concerned with the development of a substance use index to be used in the examination of substance use and related phenomena among adolescent substance users. The Substance Use Involvement Index (SUI) was constructed to provide a composite score that combines quantitative and qualitative aspects of substance use into a unitary score that reflects a user's substance involvement relative to a specific reference group. The SUI was used to examine the relationship between substance use involvement and predictor variables, (i.e., personal distress and self-concept) by first dividing the student population into six substance use involvement groups. The SUI was also used to examine differences in substance use levels as a function of sex, grade-in-school, self-reported grade point average, and race/ethnicity. Finally, the SUI was examined in relation to the qualitative aspects of multiple substance use and other use patterns.