NCJ Number
161372
Journal
Journal of Child and Adolescent Substance Abuse Volume: 4 Issue: 1 Dated: (1994) Pages: 17-33
Date Published
1994
Length
17 pages
Annotation
The purpose of this study was to compare indexes of behavioral, emotional, and psychological problems experienced by maltreated and nonmaltreated adolescents in a drug treatment program.
Abstract
Data were collected over a 7-year period from intake interviews and Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory scores of 522 adolescent patients. Maltreatment was self-reported by 43 percent of females and 17 percent of males. Females had significantly more emotional and psychological problems than males, and both maltreated males and females had significantly more behavioral problems than their nonmaltreated peers. These problems included arrests, time spent in juvenile detention, and running away from home. Elevated scores for maltreated females on scales measuring emotional problems showed they experienced physical ailments related to breathing, digestion, vision, and sleeping that had no physiological basis. The unique needs of maltreated adolescents in drug treatment programs are discussed, and several recommendations for treatment based on the study findings are offered. 27 references and 3 tables