title: Drug trajectories among youth undergoing treatment: the influence of psychological problems and delinquency.
abstract: Previous research has documented associations of addiction with delinquency and psychological problems. However, few studies have evaluated their influence on adolescent's drug use trajectories. The current study aims to examine the influence of these factors on the recovery trajectories of 199 youths aged 15.6 years on average admitted to inpatient and outpatient addiction treatment centers, followed up three and six months later. Results indicate that youth who show higher severity of drug abuse exhibit greater improvement than youth with a lower severity of drug abuse at the onset of treatment. Although psychological problems were associated with baseline drug use, they did not influence drug use trajectory over time. Only delinquency influenced the recovery trajectories of these youth. Results suggest that a high level of delinquency can have a significant effect on the drug recovery process of adolescents and that interventions should attempt to reduce both drug use and delinquency.
authors.affiliation: Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières, Department of Special Education, P.O. Box 500, Trois-Rivières, QC, Canada G9A 5H7. natacha.brunelle@uqtr.ca
authors.forename: Natacha
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Brunelle
authors.forename: Karine
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Bertrand
authors.forename: Isabelle
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Beaudoin
authors.forename: Cinthia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ledoux
authors.forename: Annie
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gendron
authors.forename: Catherine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Arseneault
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002649:Child Abuse / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D002650:Child Abuse, Sexual / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D015897:Comorbidity; D004522:Educational Status; D005191:Family Characteristics; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007406:Interview, Psychological; D007604:Juvenile Delinquency / Q000523:psychology / Q000534:rehabilitation* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology / Q000534:rehabilitation; D010552:Personality Assessment / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011594:Psychometrics; D011792:Quebec; D016320:Substance Abuse Treatment Centers; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology / Q000534:rehabilitation*
keywords: Addiction; Adolescents; Concurrent problems; Delinquency; Psychological problems; Treatment