Journal of Mental Health and Substance Abuse
Substance Misuse in Adolescents: A Narrative Review
Tiffany Field
Abstract
A review of recent literature on substance use and misuse in adolescents revealed a prevalence range of 4-88% in different countries that may relate to cultural differences and/or sampling different age groups as well as various types of substance use. Several negative effects have been noted including later substance use in adulthood, more serious substance use and several negative social and psychological problems including homelessness, posttraumatic stress disorder, depression, and suicide. Risk factors have been researched including attitudes about substance use, craving, and early initiation of substance use. Parental factors have included parental substance use and lack of parental monitoring adolescent use. Peer variables include peer misuse, racial discrimination, being a sexual minority, cyberbullying, and cyber victimization. Risk behaviors include excessive screen time and gambling. The only mechanism studies have cited reduced connectivity of different parts of the brain based on fMRI scans. The very few interventions (that probably relate to the significant decline in adolescents seeking intervention) have included youth electronic media messages, skill development, and supportive communities. Limitations of this literature include sampling and measurement variability and a paucity of longitudinal studies and intervention research.
Journal Information
- Journal Name: Journal of Mental Health and Substance Abuse
- Journal Short Name: J Ment Health Substance Use
- Language: English
- Format of Publication: Online
- Starting Year: 2020
- Focus Subject: Mental Health Disorders, Substance Abuse, and Addiction
- Publication Model: Online
- Frequency of Publication: One Issue a Year
- Review Process: Single blind peer-review by referees
- Time to 1st Decision: 2 to 3 weeks from date of submission
- Time to Acceptance: 4 to 6 weeks, depending upon the required revision cycles
- Time to Publication: 1 to 3 weeks from date of final submission in the forthcoming issue
- DOI Prefix: 10.7620
Indexed and Abstracted In
