Adolescent Substance Use, Misuse, and Abuse

Abstract

Adolescent substance use, misuse, abuse and dependence is a family-oriented problem given that prevention, early detection, tracking adolescents at high risk (child maltreatment, delinquency, sexually-transmitted diseases, substance use, suicide), treating dependent individuals and their family, and follow up are important. Drug abuse is prevalent among adolescents who, in most cases, ignore the dangers inherent in drug abuse. Many of them engage in drug abuse out of frustration, lack of parental supervision, peer influence, pleasure, poverty, etc. This paper presents a classification of the substances used by adolescents, an inventory of children and adolescents at risk for substance use, an inventory of the domain risk factors for adolescent substance use. The authors also clarify a few terminological issues (abuse, misuse, and use), identify the associations of adolescent substance use, and make an attempt at identifying the parent - adolescent relationship in adolescent substance use with focus on the father – daughter relationship.