The Role of Gender in Risk for Substance Use Among Justice-Involved Youth.

• NCJ Number: 254387
• Journal: Children and Youth Services Review Volume: 100 Dated: May 2019 Pages: 485-493
• Author(s): Carolina M. Herrera; Paul Boxer
• Date Published: May 2019
• Length: 9 pages
• Grant Number(s): 2011-JV-VX-0104
• Sponsoring Agency: Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP)
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Research (Applied/Empirical); Report (Study/Research); Report (Grant Sponsored); Program/Project Description
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This study analyzed data from a sample of 421 youth referred by the justice system for mental health treatment.

Abstract

Much research on gender and risk factors in adolescent substance use focuses on either normative community samples or high-risk, primarily male samples. This literature generally shows that both contextual and personal risk factors increase likelihood for adolescent substance use; however, a broader understanding of the relationship between gender and substance-use risk will aid in designing more appropriate interventions and policy, especially regarding females involved in the clinical or juvenile justice systems. The current study found that gender moderated relations between personal and contextual risk factors and substance use outcomes. Implications of these findings for researchers and clinical practitioners are discussed. (publisher abstract modified)