One-year outcome of adolescent females referred for conduct disorder and substance abuse/dependence

We investigated whether substance abuse/dependence, conduct disorder, and o ther psychiatric disorders improved in adolescent females who were referred to outpatient treatment and which variables were related to I-year outcome . Forty-six out of 60 conduct-disordered (CD) adolescent females with subst ance abuse or dependence were re-evaluated approximately 1 year after disch arge. Treatment length averaged 16 weeks. Significant improvements were see n in three areas: (1) criminality and CD; (2) attention deficit hyperactivi ty disorder (ADHD); and (3) educational and vocational status. However, nei ther substance involvement nor depression improved, regardless of length of stay in treatment, and these females demonstrated significant risky sexual behaviors. In contrast to our previous work with adolescent males (Crowley , T.J., Mikulich, S.K., Macdonald, M., Young, S.E., Zerbe, G.O., 1998. Subs tance-dependent, conduct-disordered adolescent males: severity of diagnosis predicts 2-year outcome. Drug Alcohol Depend. 49, 225-237), we were not ab le to identify pre-intake variables, other than performance IQ, that were r elated to substance use and conduct outcomes. Only two post-treatment facto rs (peer problems and number of ADHD symptoms at follow-up) were found to b e related to CD and substance use disorders outcomes. The overall lack of p re- and post-treatment predictors presents interesting challenges for futur e research on adolescent females with these disorders. (C) 2000 Elsevier Sc ience Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.