The AISD Student Substance Use and Safety Survey, administered annually to a random, representative sample of AISD students in middle schools and high schools, provides self-report data on student knowledge, attitudes, and behavior related to substance use and school safety issues. This report summarizes results for the 2009-2010 school year.

The authors present a cost-benefit analysis of a Juvenile Breaking the Cycle (JBTC) program in Oregon designed to provide juvenile justice system monitoring and coordinated treatment and services to youth who are assessed as at high risk for recidivism and substance use. Detailed cost analyses are presented for youth in the JBTC program and a…

In this investigation, the authors surveyed graduate students (n = 129) in counseling and psychology regarding the extent to which addiction was present in their families. A high percentage of respondents, particularly females, reported that their families had alcoholism/drug addiction present. A statistically significant difference was yielded…

Drawing on stress and life-course perspectives and using panel data from 1,286 south Florida young adults, we assess three critical questions regarding the role of marijuana in the "gateway hypothesis." First, does teen marijuana use independently (causally) affect subsequent use of more dangerous substances? Second, if so, does that…

Research suggests that buprenorphine treatment may be a promising intervention for incarcerated individuals with heroin addiction histories. However, its implementation varies from corrections-based methadone because of unique challenges regarding dosing, administration, and regulation. Describing the first randomized clinical trial of…

The confluence of the deinstitutionalization of people with mental illness and the massive incarceration of drug offenders has dramatically raised the number of substance abusers with mental illness in American jails. This study sought to identify correlates of comorbidity and service gaps among jail inmates using data from the 2002 Survey of…

Throughout the social work profession, there is ongoing interest in building a social science agenda that can address the complex practice-based questions faced by social work professionals today. Methodological innovations and unique funding opportunities have already significantly advanced research on social work practice. Still, there is…

This study examined the impact of physical and sexual trauma on a sample of 239 homeless men. Study participants completed a self-administered survey that collected data on demographics, exposure to psychological trauma, physical health and mental health problems, and substance use or misuse. Binomial logistic regression analyses were used to…

Objective: The authors investigated the unique contribution motivational interviewing (MI) has on counseling outcomes and how MI compares with other interventions. Method: A total of 119 studies were subjected to a meta-analysis. Targeted outcomes included substance use (tobacco, alcohol, drugs, marijuana), health-related behaviors (diet,…

This study investigated the relationships between some academic related variables (interest in school, psychological resilience, study habit) and attitudes toward substance abuse among 220 (M = 15.1, SD = 1.10) secondary school adolescents in Barbados. Results revealed that interest in school, psychological resilience and study habits negatively…

In May of 2010, President Obama released the Administration's inaugural "National Drug Control Strategy". Based on the premise that drug use and its consequences pose a threat not just to public safety, but also to public health, the 2010 "Strategy" represented the first comprehensive rebalancing of Federal drug control policy in the nearly 40…

In 2008, adolescents made 23,124 visits to the emergency department (ED) for drug-related suicide attempts, and young adults made 38,036 such visits; of these visits, 23.0 percent (5,312 visits) among adolescents and 17.6 percent (6,700 visits) among young adults involved antidepressants. Among ED visits for suicide attempts involving…

It is well established that there is an increase in substance use among college students. In the literature, this increase in use has been attributed to different personality factors, such as sensation seeking. However, what has not received sufficient attention is the possibility that the new peer groups, afforded by the transition to college,…

The study's purpose is to examine the effectiveness of Motivational Enhancement Therapy (MET) on motivation to change as measured by the University of Rhode Island Change Assessment (URICA; McConnaughy, Prochaska & Velicer, 1983). Participants were drawn from a convenience sample of 22 adolescent males (treatment group n = 11; control group n =…

The aim of this study was to identify factors associated with repeated suicide attempts among criminal justice clients examined for substance abuse using the Addiction Severity Index. Among suicide attempters (n = 1,404), repeaters (two or more attempts, n = 770) were compared to nonrepeaters. In logistic regression, repetition was associated with…