NCJ Number
88564
Journal
Journal of Adolescence Volume: 6 Issue: 1 Dated: (March 1983) Pages: 71-86
Date Published
1983
Length
16 pages
Annotation
Juvenile delinquents who sniff glue do not differ from delinquents who do not sniff glue in terms of their attitude, response to frustration, internal/external locus of control, or self-esteem.
Abstract
Data came from psychometric tests of 22 male adolescents who were at a community home with education and were known to be persistent solvent abusers and of 22 matched adolescents with no known history of solvent abuse. The home was located in London, England. The inability to identify a specific syndrome associated with solvent abuse makes it unlikely that a specific therapeutic or educational approach to the problem would do much more than increase the labeling process which is already under way. Delinquent culture is a far stronger determinant of adolescent behavior than are possible personality differences between solvent abusers and nonabusers. Given the appropriate social climate and exposure through the media, solvent abuse is possible for any adolescent who is prone to exciting and novel experiences. Such abuse is particularly likely since glue sniffing is a way, for the user, to indicate both maturity and the refusal to be like adults, who can be relied on to disapprove. Tables and a list of 54 references are provided.