Risk Factors in Adolescent Substance Abuse:

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Abstract
Adolescence is a critical age for the development of coping behaviors and responses. As adolescents experience new pressures and experiment with methods of adjustment, they may develop inappropriate and/or destructive methods of coping. A preeminent example is the use of substances to deal with stress, peer pressure, and emotional distress (Kandel & Logan, 1984). According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services National High School Senior Survey, almost half of the young people surveyed have experimented with illicit substances by the time they have graduated from high school: 47.8% of high school seniors and 54% of college students in 1990 had experimented with illicit substances (Windle, 1991). Adolescent substance abuse involves personality, biological, genetic, cognitive, attitudinal, social, and environmental factors. Prevention and intervention strategies must reflect this if they are to be successful in curbing adolescent substance use. Researchers and clinicans must devise multimodal programs that address different etiological factors and combine different theoretical orientations if they are to have an impact on the use of drugs and alcohol within the adolescent population. Adolescent substance use must be conceptualized within a theoretical model that incorporates peer, family, and intra- and interpersonal factors. This presentation will review the literature on the etiology of adolescent substance use with the purpose of determining the significance of various risk factors in the development of prevention and treatment strategies. It is the intent to demonstrate that, though no single intervention approach is effective with all adolescents, specific interventions may be especially applicable to certain risk factors in the treatment and management of adolescent substance abuse. Implications for future research, treatment and prevention will be discussed.

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