Significance of Delinquency as a Risk Factor for Adolescent Drug Abuse

摘要

This study addresses the need to empirically test theories about the pathways todrug involvement pertinent to severe-end, clinic-referred youth. In this light, the validity of the conduct disorder hypothesis of adolescent drug abuse, primarily tested to date on normal youth samples, was examined in a drug clinic-referred sample (N = 2582). All subjects met DSM-III-R criteria for either abuse or dependence of at least one psychoactive substance. Based on self-report data, it was hypothesized that a Delinquency factor would account for the most variance in drug use compared to three competing factors (Psychological Distress, Nonconventional Values, and Family Distress). Support for the hypothesis was obtained across sex, age and ethnic groups. The Delinquency factor uniquely