Substance Abuse Problems among High-Risk Youth and Potential Interventions

Although drug use among teenagers has declined significantly over the past decade, adolescents raised in impoverished urban communities continue to be at high risk for involvement in drug use and sales and for serious delinquency. Such youth often exhibit behavioral problems at school, associate with delinquent peers, have inadequate supervision at home, and are typically not helped by regular school-based drug resistance training programs. Findings from recent longitudinal studies and interactional theory suggest that preventive interventions with such youth must address a wide array of problems and service needs. One of the critical problems facing any program intended to serve such youth is getting them involved.