The contribution of this research is in the area of adolescent decision making. The specific decision examined is the decision to use or not use drugs. Several factors were expected to have significant impacts on this crucial adolescent decision. These factors included peer, school, family, and religion influences. The source of the data was a sample of ninth through twelfth grade students in a north Texas city. The students responded to a survey questionnaire in the spring semester of 1989. A total of 632 students responded to the questions about alcohol- and drug-related attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors. Four major hypotheses were tested, and each one was supported by the research findings. In the first hypothesis, it was expected that family drug use factors would have a positive effect on adolescent drug use. Family factors included the following: parental use of alcohol, problems for family members due to parental drinking, and problems for the respondent due to parental drinking. Family factors had a statistically significant effect on alcohol use and any drug use.

The focus of this study was to determine if certain personality traits could be detected within a population of substance-abusing adolescents. The Depression (d), Psychopathic Deviant (Pd), Paranoia (Pa), and Hypomania (Ma) scales of the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) were utilized as indicators of psychopathological traits for this project. It was found that a significant degree of elevation on these scales was achieved by the subject, when compared to an ideal normative sample. It was concluded that this indicated the presence of certain psychopathological personality traits within this population. The implication that personality differences within this population can be detected could lead to a greater understanding of substance abuse among adolescents, and the potential for more appropriate counseling approaches with such substance abusers.

M.A. (Social Work) / Please refer to full text to view abstract

The purpose of this study was to compare the delinquent behavior, psychological health, and emotional wellbeing of maltreated and nonmaltreated adolescents in a chemical dependency treatment program. Data were collected over a seven year period from intake interviews and Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) scores of 522 adolescent patients at a chemical dependency treatment program in a Northwest city of about 100,000. The subjects consisted of 220 females and 302 males. Maltreatment was selfreported by 43% of the females and 17% of the males. Results indicated that maltreated, drugaddicted adolescents engaged in significantly more delinquent behavior, including arrests and drugrelated arrests, suicide attempts, runaway behavior and illicit drug use than nonmaltreated adolescents in the program. Results of the MMPI scores revealed that maltreated adolescents scored significantly higher than nonmaltreated adolescents on eight of the ten clinical scales, indicating that maltreated adolescents entered the drug treatment program with higher levels of psychological and emotional distress than did their peers. Analyses run separately for males and females revealed that differences between maltreated and nonmaltreated patients could be accounted for, in large part, by differences between maltreated and nonmaltreated females. Maltreated females, but not males, scored significantly higher on total drug use, and on the Hypochondriasis (Hs), Hysteria (Hy), Psychasthenia (Pt), and Schizophrenia (Sc) scales of the MMPI. The unique needs of maltreated adolescents, in particular maltreated females, in drug treatment programs are discussed. / Graduation date: 1992

The present study compared three commonly used cognitive screeners: the Test of Cognitive Skills – Second Edition (TCS-2), the Kaufman Brief Intelligence Test (K-BIT), the Wide Range Achievement Test – Third editions (WRAT3) and the impact of marijuana use on these screeners in a population of juvenile delinquents. One hundred records (67 males and 33 females) were selected from archival data at the Allen County Juvenile Center. Results from this study found, that as predicted, individuals who tested positive for marijuana performed significantly worse on all subtests of the TCS-2, on the Verbal and Composite Score of the K-BIT, and the Spelling subtest of the WRAT3 than individuals who tested negative for marijuana use. The results of this study support the notion that marijuana can impair cognitive abilities in a group of adolescents. / Department of Psychological Science

Mass incarceration in the United States has led to millions of parents of minor children being incarcerated, many of whom are Black Americans. The consequences of parental incarceration have rippling effects across generations and result in poor social, economic, and health outcomes among children of incarcerated parents throughout the lifecourse. Research on the effects of parental incarceration on children has focused primarily on externalizing behaviors as a means to control crime and the intergenerational transmission of crime. However, such perspectives are rooted in racism and negates the role of structural racism in maintaining social and economic policies that keep Black American families and communities disenfranchised and under the control of the majority. Theoretical perspectives suggest that parental incarceration increases the risk of adolescent substance use and externalizing behaviors, while others suggest that parental incarceration decreases the risk of adolescent substance use and externalizing behaviors. However, when examining the literature, there are discrepant findings regarding the direction and magnitude of the association between parental incarceration and adolescent externalizing behaviors. This dissertation focuses on explaining reasons for and reconciling these discrepant findings, and exploring and expanding the literature on parental incarceration and adolescent substance use which has not been adequately synthesized to date. This dissertation consists of five chapters. The first chapter is an introduction to the dissertation. Chapter 2 is a systematic review of the literature on parental incarceration and adolescent cigarette, alcohol, and cannabis use. Chapter 3 is an empirical study that assessed the association between parental incarceration and past year adolescent alcohol and cannabis use, and externalizing behaviors using data from the Fragile Families and Child Well-Being Study (Fragile Families). Fragile Families is well-suited for assessing the association between parental incarceration and adolescent substance use and externalizing behaviors because it includes a diverse sample of adolescents and their parents, various measures of parental incarceration over time, and a wealth of information on adolescent outcomes. This diverse sample also makes it possible to assess effect modification by race/ethnicity, which other studies may have been underpowered to assess considering the lack of racially and ethnically diverse samples. Chapter 4 used data from Fragile Families and The National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (Add Health) to empirically examine if discrepant findings existed across these datasets regarding the association between parental incarceration and adolescent cannabis use. Prior studies have shown discrepant findings regarding parental incarceration and offspring externalizing behaviors across these datasets; however, adolescent cannabis use has not been assessed in Fragile Families to identify potential discrepancies. This dissertation concludes with Chapter 5, which provides a summary of the key findings, and discusses the public health impact of this research and future directions. The systematic review provided evidence that there is a positive association between parental incarceration and adolescent cigarette and cannabis use. However, more research is needed to determine if these associations are purely correlational or potentially causal. Findings from the review did not suggest that parental incarceration was associated with adolescent alcohol use. Two out of three studies included in the review assessed binge drinking/episodes of heavy drinking, which may have impacted results. In contrast, Chapter 3 showed support for a positive association between parental incarceration and adolescent alcohol use in the past year (any vs. none; relative risk [RR]=1.54, 95% CI=1.17-2.03) using data from Fragile Families. Chapter 3 showed that both maternal and paternal incarceration were associated with adolescent alcohol and cannabis use (RR=1.25, 95% CI=1.01-1.55), and externalizing behaviors (delinquency scale: incidence rate ratio [IRR]=1.18, 95% CI=1.01-1.36 and CBCL: IRR=1.14, 95% CI=1.02-1.28). Findings also suggested that the associations between lifetime parental incarceration and adolescent alcohol and cannabis use, and externalizing behaviors were different by adolescent race; however, data were not sufficient to assess interaction effects. In Chapter 4, the association between parental incarceration and adolescent cannabis use was shown to be different across Fragile Families and Add Health (association between maternal incarceration during adolescence and adolescent past month cannabis use: RRFragile Families=2.09, 95% CI=1.36,3.21 vs. RRnon-post-stratification-weighted Add Health=1.27, 95% CI=0.77-2.10, magnitude of difference=39.2%), which was expected based on prior studies assessing parental incarceration and adolescent externalizing behaviors across these studies. Generally, findings were in the positive direction, but the magnitude of associations were inconsistent. Reweighting Add Health to have the sample distribution of adolescent gender, age, and race as Fragile Families was hypothesized to lead to congruent findings across these studies. Nonetheless, reweighting Add Health resulted in measures of association being further away from those in the non-poost-stratification-weighted Add Health sample; thereby further away from the Fragile Families sample (association between lifetime paternal incarceration and adolescent past month cannabis use: RRFragile Families=1.34 vs. RRnon-post-stratification-weighted Add Health=1.44 vs. RRpost-stratification-weighted Add Health=1.53). In conclusion, results from these studies indicate that there is a positive association between parental incarceration and adolescent cannabis use, and externalizing disorder. However, findings are inconsistent regarding the effect of parental incarceration on adolescent alcohol use, and regarding the association between parental incarceration and adolescent outcomes across Fragile Families and Add Health. These studies attempted to reconcile discrepant findings and provide a novel method for reconciling discrepant findings across different exposures and outcomes in future studies.

published_or_final_version / Social Work / Master / Master of Social Work

This study examined the relationship between psychological birth order and substance abuse and suicide in adolescents. It was hypothesized that adolescents operating from a perceived inferior position as measured by the Psychological Birth Order Instrument would be more likely to abuse substances and/or engage in self-destructive behavior. Ninety-five adolescents from Southern Arizona volunteered to participate in this study. The forty-eight treatment subjects were current in-patients at a psychiatric hospital. The control group consisted of forty-seven high school students. The results indicated that there was a difference in perceptions between adolescents in treatment versus those not in treatment for substance abuse and/or suicide. There was a significant relationship at the.005 level and it was concluded that adolescents operating from a perceived inferior position are more likely to abuse substances and/or attempt suicide.

Much-needed research on Thai adolescents (age 15-19), the fastest growing group of AIDS victims in Thailand, this study differentiates risk behavior among classes, unlike most AIDS research in Thai society, and focuses on how gender and economic factors among adolescents influence their risk-behavior patterns leading to the contraction of HIV/AIDS. Using ethnographic methods focusing on class and gender, I identified several risk-taking behaviors. Each class in Thai society tends to be at-risk from a different level of sexual relationships and drug use. The lower class seems to be the most at risk because of having many sexual partners, having unprotected sex, and sharing needles while, those in the middle class use only personal screening for their sexual partners and also sharing needles. Although the higher class is less at risk compared with other classes, a few do visit prostitutes and consume drugs. Class is also correlated to the level of knowledge and education about AIDS. Although each received the same health education provided through the same source and same health text, adolescents in each class catch the message differently. My research data showed that adolescents of the higher class showed a more complete knowledge about AIDS. There are also many patterns of HIV/AIDS risk-taking behaviors that correlate to cultural gender differences. Although all classes appear to adhere to the ideal norm of virginity being the best sexual-practice, in reality, this only applies to members of the upper class. The middle and, especially, the lower classes do not apply this norm to themselves at all: They practice premarital sex, even though they may verbalize the ideal norm. Other studies have focused on gender relations according to this ideal Thai norm; however, this ideology does not match the reality. In conclusion, with the lack of research in this area, Thai adolescents are being placed at greater risk. Thus, I make recommendations for further research and prevention methods. For example, health education should be more up-to-date and explain to adolescents the connection between sexual relationships and AIDS rather than focusing primarily on the reproductive process. Further, parents, schools, and teenagers themselves can visit with health professionals at the hospitals and anonymous clinics to learn more about STDs, especially, HIV/AIDS. If put into practice, these recommendations will positively reduce the spread of AIDS in Thailand. / Graduation date: 1999

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