Demographic, individual, and interpersonal predictors of adolescent alcohol and marijuana use following treatment

A vulnerability model of adolescent substance abuse treatment outcome provi ded the basis for selection of demographic, individual, interpersonal, and treatment factors to predict the follow-up use of alcohol and marijuana in a sample of adolescents (N = 225) with psychoactive substance use disorders . Pretreatment levels of sibling substance use and aftercare participation predicted alcohol and marijuana use during the first 6 months posttreatment . Pretreatment levels of deviant behavior also predicted the use of marijua na at 6-month follow-up. Peer substance use at intake and 6-month posttreat ment both predicted substance use frequency outcomes at 12-month follow-up. Alcohol and marijuana use frequencies at 6-month follow-up also predicted continued use for these substances throughout the remainder of the Ist post treatment year. Shorter treatment length and being male were risk factors f or alcohol use during the 2nd half of the Ist posttreatment year. Elevated psychological substance dependence at 6-month follow-up was a unique risk f actor for subsequent marijuana use. Findings support conceptual models that attempt to explain adolescent substance abuse treatment outcome in terms o f relationships among demographic, individual, interpersonal, and treatment factors.