Substance use in individuals with mental retardation

Alcohol and drug use among individuals with mental retardation (MR) has rec eived little empirical attention. Two studies are reported: In Study 1, ind ividuals (n = 122) with MR were surveyed regarding their personality charac teristics, alcohol and drug use, and skills to avoid substance abuse. Resul ts indicate that although the majority of participants did not drink alcoho l, among those who did, the ratio of misusers to users was nearly 1:1. In a ddition, misusers were deficient in specific skill areas. In Study 2, parti cipants (n = 84) were randomly assigned to receive a prevention program in either (a) assertiveness building, (b) modeling and social inference, or (c ) a delayed treatment, control condition. Results suggest that each program , at least in the short-term, improved substance knowledge and enhanced ski lls. Overall, these results suggest that substance use interventions focuse d toward individuals with MR may be beneficial. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science L td.