Objective: To examine the patterns of inhalant use and correlates of the progression from inhalant use to abuse and dependence among adolescents aged 12 to 17. Method: Study data were drawn from the 2000 and 2001 National Household Surveys on Drug Abuse. Multinominal logistic regression was used to identify the characteristics associated with…

Lists 36 references and abstracts of publications on drug and alcohol use of American Indian youth, by staff of the Tri-Ethnic Center for Prevention, Fort Collins, Colorado, since 1978. Includes papers on high rates of use, epidemiology, psychosocial correlates of use, prevention, and treatment. (SV)

Ecstasy (MDMA) has been added to the spectrum of illicit drugs used by college students. In this study, the authors estimated the prevalence of ecstasy use within a large college student sample and investigated the polydrug-use history of those ecstasy users. They administered an anonymous questionnaire to college students (N = 1,206) in…

Surveyed 1,684 secondary school students on stress and inhalant use. Classified inhalent users as abstainers, experimental, and regular users. Male abstainers exhibited lower mean stress scores than did males in other groups; female abstainers exhibited lower mean scores than did regular users but did not differ from experimental users. Suggests…

The Partnership Attitude Tracking Study (PATS) is Partnership for a Drug Free America's (PDFA) unique contribution to the field of substance abuse prevention. An annual study that tracks the attitudes consumers have about illegal drugs, this research examines what PDFA's target audiences think and feel about various drugs. After a decade of rising…

Among 110 Mexican-American adolescents in a Texas drug abuse program, initial use of toxicant inhalants was related to availability and sensation-seeking, followed by psychological problems, parental and home problems, and peer influence. Quitting inhalant use was related to social pressures, attitude change, and perceived health risks. (Author/SV)

Analyses of data on 110 Mexican-American adolescent inhalant users and 78 of their mothers indicate that level of acculturation, cultural factors, and socioeconomic factors did not directly affect youth's drug use and criminality but may have had indirect effects through socialization and psychological factors. Contains 22 references. (Author/SV)

Semistructured interviews were conducted with 40 adolescents who reported inhaling volatile solvents. All were aware of the short-term health risks involved in use, and most reported experiencing ill effects. Offers suggestions for intervention. (Author/GCP)

"SAMHSA News" is the national newsletter of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Published six times a year (bimonthly) by SAMHSA's Office of Communications, SAMHSA News contains information about the latest substance abuse and mental health treatment and prevention practices, recent statistics on mental health and…

This report provides a summary of drug use trends from a survey of nearly 50,000 eighth-, tenth-, and twelfth- grade students nationwide. It also includes perceived risk, personal disapproval, and perceived availability of each drug by this group. A synopsis of the methods used in the study and an overview of the key results from the 2006 survey…

Since the mid-1960s, when illicit drug use burgeoned in the normal youth population, substance use by American young people has proven to be a rapidly changing phenomenon. Smoking, drinking, and illicit drug use are leading causes of morbidity and mortality, both during adolescence as well as later in life. How vigorously the nation responds to…

Discusses a school-based prevention program initiated to reduce alcohol, tobacco, and other drug (ATOD) use among adolescents. Investigates changes in reported ATOD use from 1987 to 1991. Significant decreases were found for use of most drugs with the exception of alcohol. Involvement in problem behaviors was the most salient risk factor whereas…

School youth have been increasingly involved in the dangerous abuse of volatile inhalants. The basic reason to inhale substances is to reach an altered state of consciousness. The 12-17 and 18-25-year-old age groups had the highest rates of inhalant abuse in 1993. Among eighth graders, almost one in five (19%) said they have used inhalants and 5%…

This teacher's guide is for the "Mind Over Matter" series, a neuroscience education series designed to encourage students in grades 5-9 to learn about the biological effects of drug abuse on the body and the brain. "Mind Over Matter" includes eight colorful, glossy magazines, each of which is devoted to a specific drug or drug…

A study of inhalant use among 87 American Indian boarding school students aged 10-18 found that inhalant use was negatively related to participation in traditional tribal activities for both males and females and was also related to measures of cognitive ability and cognitive egocentrism for males. (Contains 43 references.) (SV)