REPUTATIONS, SELF-CONCEPTS AND COPING STRATEGIES OF VOLATILE SOLVENT USERS

Data pertaining to the reputations, self-concepts and coping strategie s of thirty-one secondary school Volatile Solvent Users (VSUs), forty- four ex-VSUs, and forty-eight non-VSUs in the Perth Metropolitan area of Western Australia were obtained using the High School Student Activ ity Questionnaire. Findings revealed that significant differences betw een current VSUs, ex-VSUs, and non-VSUs were more attributable to fact ors of reputation enhancement than to factors of either self-concept o r coping strategies. Current VSUs identified themselves as both having and wanting to have a more non-confronting reputation, and as admirin g drug-related activities significantly more than both ex-VSUs and non -VSUs. Two coping variables were also found to be significant indicati ng that females use more nonproductive coping strategies and external coping strategies than males. No interaction effects were identified. The implications for drug education and further research are discussed .