3.7 Psychological Factors and Substance Use Among Adolescents

Tables 3.3-3.7 present findings concerning the association between the presence of emotional/behavioral problems and substance use among adolescents. To examine patterns of association, emotional and behavioral problems were subclassified according to three levels of severity. Adolescents with measures within the Achenbach range for significant difficulty (borderline clinical and clinical) were classified as high. Adolescents with measures below the median were classified as low. Adolescents with measures above the median but below the Achenbach range for significant difficulty were classified as intermediate. The tables present the percentage of adolescents who reported substance use within the three severity classifications (low, intermediate, and high) for emotional problems and for behavioral problems.7 The findings are presented for the entire sample and for the three age groups of males and females.

Patterns of substance use corresponding to levels of emotional or behavioral problems represent suggestive evidence concerning association. If there is a risk relation, the severity of the problems should be associated with greater likelihood of substance use. Adolescents who evidence more serious problems should demonstrate greater likelihood of substance use than would adolescents with intermediate or low levels.

This page was last updated on August 05, 2008.

SAMHSA, an agency in the Department of Health and Human Services, is the Federal Government's lead agency for improving the quality and availability of substance abuse prevention, addiction treatment, and mental health services in the United States.