Conducting intervention studies with homeless populations can be difficult, particularly in terms of retaining participants across multiple sessions and locating them for subsequent follow-up assessments. Homeless youth are even more challenging to engage due to substance use, mental health problems, wariness of authority figures, and frequent…

Risk has become a driving force within the provision of welfare services in post-modern society (Kemshall [2002]. Conflicting knowledge's on risk: The case of risk knowledge in the probation service. "Health, Risk and Society," 2(2), 153-158). There is a dearth of research exploring how "risk" influences multi-agency…

The current study demonstrates the application of an analytic approach for incorporating multiple time trends in order to examine the impact of cohort effects on individual trajectories of eight drugs of abuse. Parallel analysis of two independent, longitudinal studies of high-risk youth that span ages 10 to 40 across 23 birth cohorts between 1968…

Background: Several studies have shown that substance use levels among adolescents living in residential youth care are high. However, it is not clear to what extent adolescents initiate (heavy) substance during their stay and to what extent these rates are higher than would be expected based on their risk profile. Objective: The aim of the…

Survey data on the problem of drug abuse in Russia show a high level of awareness of the issue among young people. To reduce the level of drug use in Russia, a comprehensive, focused, and coordinated program involving representatives of official state and social institutions, as well as institutions of civil society, is needed. Combining their…

Most studies that explore parental knowledge of youths' activities utilize parents' and youths' reports separately. Using a sample of 938 rural early adolescents (53% female; 84% White), we explore congruence between mothers' and youths' perceptions of maternal knowledge and its association with youth problem behaviors (delinquency, substance use,…

The National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) is the primary source of information on the prevalence, patterns, and consequences of substance abuse among people age 12 and older. The survey is conducted every year by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). The 2009 NSDUH, released September 16, 2010, shows…

Explores the extent of the relationship between onset of sexual experiences and onset of substance use in a sample of runaway youth in Alaska. Initiation of sexual activity preceded the onset of drug-taking, and intercourse prior to age 12 was reported by 40%. Implications for those providing care for this group are explored. (JPS)

This booklet describes the population of youth in chemical dependency treatment programs. The Minnesota Student Survey was administered to 500 voluntary adolescent participants in inpatient and outpatient chemical dependency treatment programs in 1995 and 1996. These youth were matched with adolescents selected randomly from the public school…

Examines the distribution of drug use among adolescents 12 to 17 years in data from the National Household Survey on Drug Abuse. Results indicate that the risk of drug use is highest in father-custody families even after controlling for socio-demographic variables. Risk is lowest in mother-father families. (Author/EMK)

Recent reports at the state and national levels show that substance use among children, adolescents, and young adults has been growing since the early 1990s. Details on risk factors and on protective factors for adolescent substance abuse prevention in the state of Washington are presented in this report. It provides measures at the county and…

Voluntary survey responses of adolescents in corrections facilities (N=893) are compared to those of adolescents in public schools. Findings are highlighted in the following areas: (1) "Youth, Their Families and Their Environments," which includes sections on population description, family composition and relationships, family alcohol…

The Problem Oriented Screening Instrument for Teenagers (POSIT) is validated by comparing 42 drug-using and -abstaining youth on several social and behavioral characteristics. All 10 POSIT domain scores for drug users are greater than those for abstainers. Construct validity is established by comparing POSIT domain scores with other instruments.…

Moral reasoning, engagement in risk, and domain placement of risk as a moral, conventional, or personal issue were assessed in two groups of students: an intervention group participating in an alternative school program employing the just community approach to education, and a control group from the larger high school with which the alternative…

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)