Examines the relative influence of family, school, peer influences, perceived student substance abuse, family substance abuse, and acculturation on Mexican-American early adolescents (N=413). Results show that family functioning and family use directly influence males, whereas family use and student use directly influence females. Family…

Evaluated replicability of model of family and peer influences on adolescent problem behavior. Subjects were 1,450 seventh graders representing three ethnic groups: American Indians, Hispanics, and Caucasians. Found good consistency across ethnic groups, but some subgroup differences emerged in the magnitude of relations between monitoring and…

Presents statistical information on rates of violence and victimization in a substance abuse program for homeless mothers, with accompanying anecdotal details to indicate the depth and effects of the problem. The majority of the women acknowledged incidents of childhood and adult victimization, and reported engaging in adult aggressive or abusive…

Mental health service needs of American Indians in the Flagstaff (Arizona) area were surveyed among 156 adults, 28 adolescents. and parents of 51 children, focusing on help-seeking behaviors, desired services, factors promoting service use, adults' emotional and other problems, youth problems, and acculturation levels. Problems fell within the…

Investigated whether college level peer educators were adequately prepared to teach peers about sexual health, sexual assault, and substance abuse. They completed 20 hours of training on the issues and on public speaking, leadership, and presentation skills. Pretesting and posttesting indicated that the program increased students' factual…

Reports results of a study of the long term impact of a Family Empowerment Intervention (FEI) on the psychosocial functioning among youths processed at Hillsborough County Juvenile Assessment Center who entered the project between September 1994 and January 1998. Results provide support for the sustained effect of FEI services. (BF)

Using data from a common cross-site protocol administered at study enrollment, in this article we examine key characteristics of 2,729 participants in the Women, Co-Occurring Disorders and Violence Study (WCDVS), including demographics, physical health, mental health, substance abuse, trauma experiences, parenting status, and past history of…

This study assesses the degree to which culturally specific interventions enhance substance abuse prevention effectiveness for targeted cultural groups. A large and diverse (African American, Hispanic, American Indian, and Asian) sample of 10,500 youth across 48 programs was obtained. Youth participating in culturally specific programming showed…

Substance Use and HIV Prevention Program (SHIP) is a school-based intervention model designed to reverse detrimental trajectories in nonsexual (i.e., substance use) and sexual behaviors by adapting two research-supported interventions: Reconnecting Youth and Street Smart. The Social Development Model provides the theoretical and conceptual basis.…

This report presents data from a telephone survey of a randomly selected sample of 292 marriage and family therapists (MFTs) who were Clinical Members of the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy. The study, designed to better understand the current state of the field of MFT, provides descriptive data on the demographic…

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate associations between four categories of maltreatment and substance use among adolescents. Method: All 10th through 12th graders (n=2,187) at six public high schools in a rural Oregon county filled out an anonymous survey that included questions about their experience of emotional, sexual, and…

Objective: Antisocial behavior that begins in mid- to late adolescence does not fit into commonly accepted taxonomies of antisocial behavior, yet it clearly exists. This study examined how this course of antisocial behavior compares with persisting (beginning by early adolescence and continuing through late adolescence) and desisting (stopping by…

This study examined long-term effects of a school/family/community substance abuse prevention partnership intervention lead by a Midwestern school district. Previous findings suggested that the program contributed to decreased tobacco and marijuana, but not alcohol, use prior to and after implementation between 1987 and 1991. The current study…

The functional equivalency for three indices of lifetime polydrug use was examined in a sample of adolescents (N=794). The following indices were included in analyses: (a) a count of lifetime self-report of substances used; (b) an index weighted by the severity of the substances used; and (c) a hierarchical index of substance use. Analyses for…

Statewide evaluations of mental health services are colossal undertakings, reports of which are few in the published literature. Social workers are often called on to conduct program evaluations of both small- and large-scale mental health systems. A statewide evaluation system was implemented in the state of Georgia in 1999 to measure the impact…