Hospital-based adolescent substance abuse treatment: Comorbidity, outcomes, and gender

Positive change was demonstrated on a number of self-report scales administ ered to 129 adolescents at a hospital-based substance abuse program, of who m 72 were posttested after 8 weeks. Female subjects showed change on more m easures than male subjects, and a greater number of female subjects went fr om the clinical to subclinical range. Based on number of sessions attended, subjects were grouped by "dose" into either "hi-attenders" or "lo-attender s." A Trials (pretest/posttest) x Dose interaction revealed significant red uction in drug use at posttest for hi-attenders who were initially heavier users. Multiple regression analyses determined how well "comorbidity" predi cted attendance and change in drug use. Although comorbidity failed to pred ict attendance consistently, male subjects who reported more internalizing symptomatology reduced their drug use to a greater extent than those low on this dimension, and female subjects who initially reported experiencing mo re family problems became more self-efficacious about future drug avoidance .