NCJ Number
177685
Date Published
1999
Length
129 pages
Annotation
Data from the 1994-96 National Household Survey on Drug Abuse were used to examine the association between psychological functioning and drug use among adolescents ages 12-17 years.
Abstract
The survey was conducted by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration of the Department of Health and Human Services to estimate the prevalence nationally of use of a variety of illicit drugs, alcohol, and tobacco and to provide mental health information. An estimated 13 percent of adolescents ages 12-17 had emotional problems as indicated by withdrawal, somatic problems, anxiety, and depression. An estimated 17 percent of adolescents ages 12-17 had behavioral problems indicated by delinquent or aggressive behavior. The likelihood of drug use among adolescents was associated with the severity of emotional and behavioral problems across age and gender groups. Nine percent of the adolescents reported use of illicit drugs in the past month. Twenty percent reported using alcohol in the past month; 19 percent smoked cigarettes. Six percent reported dependence on alcohol or illicit drugs. Adolescents with serious emotional problems were nearly four times more likely to be dependent on alcohol or illicit drugs than were adolescents with low levels of emotional problems. The syndrome most consistently associated with drug use was delinquent behavior. Tables, footnotes, appended tables and instrument, and 86 references