This report summarizes a national survey of drug use and related attitudes among American secondary school students. All of its data came from an ongoing national research and reporting program entitled, "Monitoring the Future: A Continuing Study of the Lifestyles and Values of Youth." These surveys address two major topics: (1) the prevalence of drug use among American students in 8th, 10th, and 12th grades; and (2) drug use trends by those students. Distinctions were drawn among demographic subgroups, incidence of first use recorded, trends in use at lower grade levels, and intensity of drug use. Also included were key attitudes about illicit drug use--incorporating perceptions of the social environment--as potential explanatory factors. The research focused on frequent drug use rather than analyzing everyone who has ever used drugs. This strategy serves to differentiate levels of seriousness, or extent, of drug involvement. Survey results indicate that the last decade witnessed an appreciable decrease in the use of numerous illicit drugs among seniors. However, eighth-graders exhibited a significant increase in some drug use, such as marijuana, cocaine, and LSD. This latter evidence may indicate that younger cohorts have less opportunity to learn though informal means about the dangers of drugs. Two appendixes present the prevalence and trend estimates adjusted for absentees and dropouts, and definitions of background and demographic subgroups. (RJM)

This wide-ranging handbook brings together experts in the sociology of drug abuse prevention. Providing a comprehensive overview of the accumulated knowledge on prevention theory, intervention design, and development and prevention research methodology, this work also promotes prevention science as an evolving field in the practice and policy of drug abuse prevention.

Bringing together leading experts, this book demonstrates the unique value of brief motivational interventions for addressing adolescent alcohol and other substance use in a range of clinical contexts. It presents cutting-edge knowledge on the etiology and developmental context of adolescent addictive behaviors and reviews exemplary treatment approaches. Effective strategies are described for intervening with diverse populations, such as college students, youth in the justice system and in foster care, those with co-occurring substance abuse and psychiatric problems, LGBT youth, and Latino and American Indian adolescents. This book replaces the editors' influential earlier work, Adolescents, Alcohol, and Substance Abuse, with an expanded focus on practical applications. Most of the chapters are completely new.

When developmental psychologists set forth the theory that the roots of adult psychopathology could be traced to childhood experience and behavior, the idea quickly took hold. Subsequently, as significant research in this area advanced during the past decade, more sophisticated theory, more accurate research methodologies, and improved replication of empirical findings have been the result. The Third Edition of the Handbook of Developmental Psychopathology incorporates these research advances throughout its comprehensive, up-to-date examination of this diverse and maturing field. Integrative state-of-the-art models document the complex interplay of risk and protective factors and other variables contributing to normal and pathological development. New and updated chapters describe current refinements in assessment methods and offer the latest research findings from neuroscience. In addition, the Third Edition provides readers with a detailed review across the spectrum of salient topics, from the effects of early deprivation to the impact of puberty. As the field continues to shift from traditional symptom-based concepts of pathology to a contemporary, dynamic paradigm, the Third Edition addresses such key topics as: Early Childhood disorders, including failure to thrive and attachment disorders. Aggression, ADHD, and other disruptive conditions. Developmental models of depression, anxiety, self-injury/suicide, and OCD. The autism spectrum and other chronic developmental disorders. Child maltreatment and trauma disorders. The Third Edition of the Handbook of Developmental Psychopathology is a discipline-defining, forward-looking resource for researchers, clinicians, scientist-practitioners, and graduate students in such fields as developmental psychology, psychiatry, social work, child and school psychology, educational psychology, and pediatrics.“p>