NCJ Number
129511
Journal
Child Psychiatry and Human Development Volume: 18 Issue: 1 Dated: (Fall 1987) Pages: 36-46
Date Published
1987
Length
11 pages
Annotation
Epidemiological, social, and clinical issues relating to the use of inhalants by American Indian youth are examined.
Abstract
Inhalants are among the first drugs used by American Indian youth with first use occurring at about the same time as the onset of cigarette smoking. The lifetime prevalence rates for inhalant use among Indian youth range from 17 percent for adolescents in 5 southwestern tribes to 62 percent for children 6-12 years in a Pueblo village. Indian youth are more likely to try inhalants than non-Indian youth and to continue their use. Intoxication is marked by a variety of signs and symptoms and is influenced by a number of variables related to the substance and to the user. Some inhalant users are troubled by affective and personality disorders and familial pathology, but the majority appear to be relatively well-adjusted. Both primary prevention programs and therapeutic programs for regular and chronic users of inhalants need to be multimodal and sensitive to sociocultural and psychosocial issues and to employ traditional community-clinical intervention modalities as well as Indian cultural approaches. 59 references (Author abstract modified)