While the general link between adolescent
maltreatment and adolescent substance abuse is
well established, questions remain regarding
factors that may explain variability in the
strength of this link. This study examines
whether the link between maltreatment and
substance abuse varies across three categories
of maltreatment: physical, sexual and emotional.
It also examines gender differences and timing
of abuse (past or current). This study also
examines the level of parental monitoring and
what effect parental monitoring has on
maltreated adolescents and their use of
substances.
Survey data were collected from six public
schools in a rural Southwestern Oregon County on
experience of maltreatment (emotional, physical
and sexual) and use of substances (tobacco,
alcohol and illicit drugs), gender differences
and level of parental monitoring. Data were
analyzed using t-tests and regression models.
Results indicated that youth who currently
experienced emotional, physical or sexual abuse
were significantly more likely to use tobacco,
alcohol, and illicit drugs than were youth who
had experienced abuse in the past. They also
indicated a significant interaction between
gender and physical abuse, sexual abuse and
emotional abuse (past and present combined) in
predicting illicit drug use with males using
illicit drugs at a significantly higher rate
than females. As predicted, a significant
interaction was found between parental
monitoring and maltreatment/no maltreatment in
predicting drug use. Maltreated youth with low
levels of parental monitoring were significantly
more likely to have high levels of substance use
than were maltreated youth with high levels of
parental monitoring.
These results give rise to the need for
further research into this subject to aid
counselors in helping youth, especially male
youth, in substance abuse treatment.
Results of this study suggest a need for
substance abuse treatment counselors to educate
the parents of the treatment clients to closely
monitor their adolescent as a possible means of
reducing substance abuse. / Graduation date: 2002
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:ORGSU/oai:ir.library.oregonstate.edu:1957/32521 |
| Date | 08 August 2001 |
| Creators | Hall, Nancy K. |
| Contributors | Moran, Patricia B. |
| Source Sets | Oregon State University |
| Language | en_US |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis/Dissertation |
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