No abstract

In this study, we examined self-reported behaviors and characteristics of individuals involved in drug distribution to identify correlates of engaging in drug-distribution behaviors. Correlates of interest included demographic characteristics, substance-use patterns, psychological impairment, and criminal involvement. Data from the 2012 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration, 2013) were used for analyses (N = 55,108). A logistic regression analysis distinguished those who have sold drugs from those who have not sold drugs to identify correlates of engaging in drug distribution. Results showed that recency of substance use, severity of substance use, criminal activity, mental health diagnoses, substance-use treatment, and arrest history were all significantly associated with distribution behaviors. Findings indicate the importance of accounting for the heterogeneous characteristics of individuals involved in distribution behaviors when considering treatment options or criminal proceedings.

Background The confluence of drug use behaviors, sexual risk, and psychopathology may complicate human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) prevention intervention for adolescents engaging in substance use and criminal behavior. However, few studies have examined these risk associations. Objective This study identified HIV risk behavior subgroups among adolescents in court ordered substance abuse treatment and examined linkages with dimensions of internalizing and externalizing psychopathology. Methods Latent class analysis was used to identify subgroups on the basis of involvement in substance use proximal to sex, number of partners, and consistency of condom use. Results Participants (n = 301) were identified as demonstrating high, medium, or low levels of sexual risk behavior. Greater externalizing psychopathology distinguished the high risk class from the medium risk class and from the low risk class. Conclusion Detained youth with particularly serious oppositional-defiant behavioral characteristics, substance use, and sex risk behavior likely require intensive interventions that address the multiple systemic factors that contribute to the development and maintenance of this pattern.

No abstract

Motivation is a prominent target for substance use interventions because it is theorized to increase engagement in therapy and predict treatment outcomes. Establishing the validity of measures relevant to motivation among Hispanic/Latino adolescents will improve the resources available for screening and measuring change processes in a multicultural population. We examined the structure of the Problem Recognition Questionnaire (PRQ; Cady, Winters, Jordan, Solberg, & Stinchfield, 1996) with Hispanic/Latino adolescents. Participants were adolescents (n = 191) in a randomized controlled trial for substance abuse. Data were collected during a baseline pre-treatment time point and post-treatment time point that was four-months post-baseline. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) showed that the three-factor structure proposed by Cady et al. (1996) had a poor fit with pre-treatment data. Follow-up exploratory analyses with principal axis factoring identified an alternate three-factor structure with pre-treatment data (Problem Recognition, Readiness, and Treatment Resistance). A second CFA showed this three-factor model fit data from participants at the post-treatment time point (n = 155). The results provide preliminary evidence for using our proposed factor structure for the PRQ subscales with Hispanic/Latino adolescents. We discuss the dimensions we identified in the context of similar measures and the implications for measuring Problem Recognition, Readiness, and Treatment Resistance.