NCJ Number
162799
Journal
Substance Use & Misuse Volume: 31 Issue: 8 Dated: (1996) Pages: 1015-1039
Date Published
1996
Length
25 pages
Annotation
This study investigated the relationship between prior sexual abuse and substance misuse among a sample of 194 adolescents receiving treatment in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, for substance misuse; differences between sexually abused and nonsexually abused adolescents were analyzed.
Abstract
Adolescents with and without a history of sexual abuse were compared with regard to demographic, social-emotional, family relationship, and drug use variables and in terms of treatment completion, changes from beginning to end of treatment, and client and therapist perceptions of treatment effectiveness. Study subjects were admitted to a 14-bed inpatient unit or to an intensive day treatment program which accommodated up to 12 adolescents. Treatment was based on psychosocial and developmental perspectives. At treatment onset, adolescents reporting sexual abuse demonstrated more serious involvement with substance misuse than those reporting no sexual abuse, a greater incidence of physical abuse and parental substance misuse, and increased suicidal ideation and school failure among males. The two groups did not differ on rate of treatment completion, beginning and end of treatment, and adolescent ratings of treatment effectiveness. Therapists, however, rated adolescents who reported sexual abuse as showing greater improvement in certain areas after treatment. Study results confirmed previous findings of greater pathology among adolescents in treatment for substance misuse who reported sexual abuse. Specifically, sexually abused adolescents reported an earlier onset of alcohol and other drug use than nonsexually abused adolescents and showed a greater degree of harmful involvement. Explanations and implications of the study findings are discussed. Client evaluation and therapist evaluation of treatment forms are appended. 29 references and 9 tables