Glue sniffing: a comparison study of sniffers and non-sniffers

A study of 22 glue sniffers and 22 non-sniffers was carried out with individuals from the same reference group. The subjects were all street children living in supervised shelters. No statistically significant differences were found between the sniffers and non-sniffers on cognitive measures or biographical features (e.g. time spent at school, years on the street). When rated by shelter staff on a modified version of the Christiansen Rating Scale (1967) the sniffers were perceived to be significantly more disturbed in their relationships with others, however, methodological issues do not permit conclusive evidence of behavioural differences to be drawn. The authors conclude that the findings lend support for the view that the effects of volatile substance abuse on cognitive and personality functioning cannot be clearly demonstrated.