Illegal behavior, drug trafficking, and substance abuse levels of two groups (both parents, mother only) of inner-city African-American youth were compared. African-American subjects who had been raised in mother-only households reported significantly fewer illegal offenses. Findings are contrary to common attitudes regarding the effects of…

Faculty at an urban university were surveyed to explore the rates of confronting peers and college students with alcohol/other drug problems, the types of interventions made, and the reasons for not confronting impaired others. Results indicate that more faculty knew of a colleague who had a current substance problem than had actually confronted…

Describes retrospective study of 100 consecutive referrals of females who offend to an Adolescent Forensic Mental Health Services. Referrers were found to have only correctly documented violent and aggressive behavior in 54% of the cases. Seventy-one of the girls had been abused, the majority having been multiply abused. Of the violent girls, 50%…

Assesses 350 delinquent court-adjudicated adolescent males for substance use/abuse. Analyses reveal social behavior/peer relationship variables to be more strongly related to the degree of substance use/abuse than were the family problem risk variables. Follow-up analysis reveals evidence that conforming/socially acceptable behavior acts as a…

Describes the author's work using poetry therapy groups with chemically-dependant adults in a residential drug treatment unit and in an outpatient setting of a large drug rehabilitation program. Discusses each poetry therapy group and notes the stages of group work. (SR)

Individual and family treatment approaches were evaluated using a treatment adherence process measure. Full-length videotapes of 90 treatment sessions for 36 clients were rated by nonparticipants. Challenges in conducting adherence research and implications of these results for advancing treatment of adolescent drug users are addressed. (EMK)

Addresses a paradigm shift taking place in the field of substance-abuse prevention for youth. Introduces the youth development and empowerment (YD&E) approach, an innovative program for treating substance abuse and other problem behavior. Discusses the process of implementing the YD&E program. (MKA)

Presents program evaluation data from school and community application of a physical fitness drug prevention program. Results reveal significant increases in physical activity and physical fitness. Youth self-report data indicates significant decreases in risk factors such as low self-concept, poor school attendance, anxiety, depression, and…

Research identifies substance abuse intervention competencies using Motivational Interviewing that can be used to teach and evaluate social work students. The study established a set of skills related to Motivational Interviewing; designed a graduate social work class to teach the model; and used the instrument to rate interviewers. Results…

Athletic directors in North Carolina (n=215) completed a questionnaire that broadly examined substance abuse of high school student athletes. Results were compared with the general student body and with a national survey of athletic directors' perceptions. Drug abuse among student-athletes was perceived to be of lesser magnitude regionally than…

Explores gender differences in the etiology and consequences of alcohol abuse among older adolescents. No significant differences were found in the etiology of alcohol abuse; however, men were more likely to have neglected duties, while women were more likely to have experienced blackouts and to have lost friends as a result of drinking.…

Group counseling with black adolescent substance users has been noticeably absent from the literature. Addresses some critical issues and provides some recommendations, based on personal clinical experience, when providing counseling with this population. (Author)

Outlines the process of intervention on the student substance user enrolled in public school. Proposes that, with careful planning, intervention for the student substance user is a firm, expeditious, and appropriate response to chemical dependency. Steps are outlined to help family and friends offer assistance to the chemically dependent students.…

Examines the incidence of substance use and mental illness among jail inmates by analyzing differences and similarities in demographic characteristics and detention status in a sample of 5,785 subjects. Significant associations were found between membership in one of the substance use and/or mental illness categories and variables reflecting…

Discusses the emergence of new types of abused drugs in the United States. Notes that young persons often search for substitutes for better-known substances. It is unclear, however, what factors determine the choice of drug or substance for experimentation, considering the wide range of choices. This paper attempts to delineate the factors that…