Pattern and Severity of Substance Use in Help-Seeking Adolescents of North-East Part of India

Abstract

Background: Adolescence is a transitional phase between childhood and adulthood, in which both physical and psychological aspects are involved in the process of growth and development. Drug dependence among adolescents is rising everywhere in the world. According to studies, adolescents who live in slums in India have a 46% of tobacco use rate. Objective: This study aims to evaluate the pattern and severity of substance use in help-seeking adolescents. Materials and Methods: On the Teen Addiction Severity Index Scale (T-ASI), 43 adolescents seeking help were interviewed to assess the severity of substance use. Results: The mean age of adolescents interviewed was 17 years. Male preponderance was noted 95.3%. The majority of the adolescents were students 76.7%, belonged to a nuclear family setup. The adolescents reported the mean age for starting substances to be 13 years. About 42% of adolescents reported the use of multiple substances during the interview. On the T-ASI scale, adolescents reported difficulty in different domains such as chemical use 6 (1.8), school status 6 (1.8), employment 3.72 (3.7), family support 12.46 (3.63), peer relations 2.9 (1.2), legal problems 0.28 (1.26), and psychiatric problem 6.44 (1.42) due to substance use. Conclusion: The present study suggests marked substance use severity in adolescents in help-seeking group. Higher severity of substance use in adolescents is associated with impairment in different domains of adolescent’s lives.