Behavioral and Familial Correlates of Episodic Heroin Abuse among Suburban Adolescents

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
Behavioral and familial correlates of predominantly white, suburban heroin abusers were investigated to determine whether such abuse was self-contained experimentation or suggestive of generalized personality disorders and impaired family relationships. Of 296 male high school students recruited from 10 middle-class suburban schools 20 had engaged in episodic heroin abuse. Of 29 antisocial behaviors other than heroin abuse assessed, heroin abusers engaged in 16 significantly more frequently. Heroin abusers found their fathers to be significantly less nice, honest, strong and kind than did nonabusers, according to semantic differential technique. They found themselves to be signficantly less strong than did nonabusers, suggesting failure to model themselves after adequately coping fathers. Heroin abusers also found their mothers to be significantly less fair, honest and valuable than did nonabusers. Episodic heroin abuse among suburban adolescents was suggestive both of generalized antisocial behavior and of impaired family relationships.