Risk Factors for Adolescent Substance Abuse and Dependence: Data From a National Sample

• Published in: Journal of consulting and clinical psychology 2000-02, Vol.68 (1), p.19-30
• Main Authors: Kilpatrick, Dean G, Acierno, Ron, Saunders, Benjamin, Resnick, Heidi S, Best, Connie L, Schnurr, Paula P
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Addictive behaviors; Adolescent; Adolescents; Adult and adolescent clinical studies; At Risk Populations; Biological and medical sciences; Child of Impaired Parents - psychology; Child psychology; Comorbidity; Crime Victims - statistics & numerical data; Drug Abuse; Drug Dependency; Family Background; Female; Health risk assessment; Human; Humans; Male; Medical sciences; Miscellaneous; Physical Abuse; Posttraumatic Stress Disorder; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychopathology. Psychiatry; Risk Factors; Sampling Studies; Sexual Abuse; Street Drugs; Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic - diagnosis; Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic - epidemiology; Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic - psychology; Substance abuse; Substance-Related Disorders - diagnosis; Substance-Related Disorders - epidemiology; Substance-Related Disorders - psychology; United States - epidemiology; Victimization; Violence; Witnesses
• ISSN: 0022-006X; 1939-2117
• DOI: 10.1037/0022-006X.68.1.19

A national household probability sample of 4,023 adolescents aged 12 to 17 years was interviewed by telephone about substance use, victimization experiences, familial substance use, and posttraumatic reactions to identify risk factors for Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders- (4th ed.; American Psychiatric Association, 1994 ) defined substance abuse/dependence. Age and ethnicity data were available for 3,907 participants. Major findings were (a) adolescents who had been physically assaulted, who had been sexually assaulted, who had witnessed violence, or who had family members with alcohol or drug use problems had increased risk for current substance abuse/dependence; (b) posttraumatic stress disorder independently increased risk of marijuana and hard drug abuse/dependence; and (c) when effects of other variables were controlled, African Americans, but not Hispanics or Native Americans, were at approximately 1/3 the risk of substance abuse/dependence as Caucasians.