Adolescent risk taking and self-reported injuries associated with substance use.
OBJECTIVE
To examine the incidence of adolescent substance use at the time of injury and its relation to risk-taking behavior.


METHODS
A total of 643 male and 782 female 9th through 12th grade students at three high schools anonymously completed surveys on any injuries that had occurred in the prior 6 months associated with substance use and risk-taking behavior.


RESULTS
Males reported a higher incidence of injuries related to alcohol or other drugs than females (17.3% vs. 13%). The 17 year olds reported more injuries related to substance use than 14 or 15 year olds (20.2% vs. 14.4% and 15%, respectively). A logistic regression analysis revealed that the odds of a substance use-related injury increased approximately sixfold when adolescents reported engaging in risk-taking behavior.


CONCLUSIONS
A significant portion of adolescents (approximately 15%) reported injuries associated with substance use. Adolescents who reported a history of risk-taking behaviors were much more likely to report substance use-related injuries.
Spirito
A
A
Rhode Island Hospital and Brown University School of Medicine, Providence, USA.
Jelalian
E
E
Rasile
D
D
Rohrbeck
C
C
Vinnick
L
L
D000293:Adolescent; D000435:Alcoholic Intoxication / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D015984:Causality; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009511:New England / Q000453:epidemiology; D012309:Risk-Taking; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D014947:Wounds and Injuries / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology