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

Positive change was demonstrated on a number of self-report scales administered to 129 adolescents at a hospital-based substance abuse program, of whom 72 were posttested after 8 weeks. Female subjects showed change on more measures than male subjects, and a greater number of female subjects went from the clinical to subclinical range. Based on number of sessions attended, subjects were grouped by "dose" into either "hi-attenders" or "lo-attenders." A Trials (pretest/posttest) x Dose interaction revealed significant reduction in drug use at posttest for hi-attenders who were initially heavier users. Multiple regression analyses determined how well "comorbidity" predicted attendance and change in drug use. Although comorbidity failed to predict 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 more family problems became more self-efficacious about future drug avoidance.