NCJ Number
233620
Date Published
November 2009
Length
4 pages
Annotation
This study analyzed 2007 data on adolescent females who were admitted to substance abuse treatment.
Abstract
Results indicate that adolescent females had higher rates of past month illicit drug use other than marijuana, alcohol use and dependence, cigarette and nonmedical pain reliever use, as well as higher rates of depression. Findings suggest that adolescent female substance abuse treatment admissions aged 12 to 17 illustrate a need for specialized prevention and treatment strategies in three areas: prevention strategies need to be developed for females younger than 11 years old; additional support and recovery services should be extended for longer periods of time; and because of the high rate of pregnancy among substance abusers, health care providers should provide additional screening, counseling, or other interventions to help ensure the delivery of a full-term health infant as well as the long-term health and well-being of the mother. Data were collected from slightly more than 40,000 female admissions using the 2007 Treatment Episode Data Set (TEDS) along with findings from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH). 3 figures and 3 endnotes