Arlene Terras

Multimodel Substance Use Intervention Program for Male Delinquents.

ABSTRACT In this prevention-early intervention project, for inner-city, low SES, court-adjudicated male adolescents, conducted in a residential treatment center, new admissions were randomly assigned to either a program participant group (in a triple-modality social learning program in the classroom), or to a control group. Results: The follow-up assessment (N = 251), at six months after discharge to home and community, showed that the program group reported a significantly greater degree of reduction in drug use/abuse, and in the selling of drugs, but not in alcohol use, or in illegal violent behavior, or in school problems. By means of dosage and process analyses, it was determined that (1) it was the Botvin LST program that was effective in reducing substance use/abuse and the selling of drugs; and (2) that those participants who participated more positively in the Prothrow-Stith Anti-Violence program reduced their violent behavior at follow-up to a significantly greater degree.

Depression, negative self-image, and suicidal attempts as effects of substance use and substance dependence

Abstract The main purpose of this study was to compare, separately by gender, the degree to which cocaine use/abuse, marijuana use/ abuse, and alcohol use/abuse each predict to developing either: a state of depression, or a negative self-image, or a negative personal outlook or for making a suicidal attempt. The study sample of 431 inner-city, African-American subjects, derived from the National Collaborative Perinatal Project (NCPP), were retrieved for the fourth time, at average age 37. Results. (1) For the female sample, there were more predictions and relatively stronger predictions from the use/abuse of and from the dependence on illicit drugs, to a subsequent negative self-image and to a negative personal outlook. For the male sample, there were relatively more predictions to making suicide attempts. (2) Of the three types of substances, cocaine use/abuse predicted to the greatest number of negative outcomes; and alcohol use/abuse predicted to no negative outcomes.

The differential disinhibition effect of marijuana use on violent behavior: a comparison of this effect on a conventional, non-delinquent group versus a delinquent or deviant group.

Abstract The following Kaplan/Damphouse hypothesis was tested and cross validated: The use of marijuana either predicts to or has a greater effect on increasing the degree of violent behavior for a group that is low on delinquent behavior, than it does for a group that scores high on these behaviors. For the conventional, non-delinquent subgroup, a higher degree of significant relationship between degree of marijuana use and degree of violent behavior was found, compared to the degree of this type of relationship than was found for either cocaine/crack use, amphetamine use, or tranquilizer/sedative use. For example, for the commission of the offense of Attempted Homicide/Reckless Endangerment: for the conventional, non-delinquent group there was a highly significant relationship to the degree of marijuana use; but there was a non-significant relationship between this type of offense and the degree of use of each of the other types of drugs. Thus, this special disinhibition effect was found only for marijuana, and not for other drugs, regardless of whether they were stimulant types of drugs, or were sedative drugs.

Early Adolescent Substance Use/Abuse as Predictor to Employment in Adulthood: Gender Differences.

ABSTRACT For the inner-city, low SES African-American community sample of this study, prospective data on childhood educational performance and adjustment to school was available for use as control variables in analyses planned for predicting from early adolescent substance use/abuse to work history during adulthood. Results: (1) For the male sub-sample (N = 205), a greater degree of alcohol use up to age 16 was found to predict to poorer work history during the three-year period that preceded age 37. Some possible explanations for these gender-specific findings are discussed.

The Role of Participant Motivation in the Outcome of a Prevention/Early Intervention Program for Adolescent Substance Use Problems and Illegal Behavior

ABSTRACT The primary purpose of this study was to determine, for a court-adjudicated adolescent male sample (N = 160) mandated to a residential program setting, the degree to which their expressed motivation for getting help with their alcohol, illicit drug and illegal behavior problems was found to predict to the outcome of an early intervention treatment program. Results. Those subjects who had reported relatively more severe alcohol and drug problems at admission expressed a significantly greater degree of being “troubled” by having such problems, and that it was significantly more “important to get help and counseling” for these problems. However, no significant relationship was found between the degree of the illegal behavior problems and the degree of being “troubled” by having the problems, or the degree that it was considered important to obtain help for such problems. It is proposed that a possible explanation for this lack of concern regarding having committed serious illegal behavior is the lack of opportunities that was available to these subjects and the influence of the poor neighborhoods in which they grew up. Those subject-participants who rated at admission that it was relatively more important to obtain “help and counseling” for their alcohol problem also tended to report relatively less alcohol problems at follow-up assessment. However, some of the subject-participants who rated that it was relatively more important to obtain help for alcohol problems also were found to report later a relatively greater degree of drug use at follow-up assessment. Thus, it appears that some of the earlier alcohol use was being exchanged for an increase in the degree of marijuana use. It is concluded that the ratings on motivation at admission, by this subject sample, are to some degree meaningful, but can also be misleading, and that the implications of these motivation ratings are quite complicated.