U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government, Department of Justice.

NCJRS Virtual Library

The Virtual Library houses over 235,000 criminal justice resources, including all known OJP works.
Click here to search the NCJRS Virtual Library

Determinants of Recent Substance Abuse Among Jail Inmates Referred for Treatment

NCJ Number
140995
Journal
Journal of Drug Issues Volume: 23 Issue: 1 Dated: (Winter 1993) Pages: 101- 117
Author(s)
R H Peters; L Schonefeld
Date Published
1993
Length
17 pages
Annotation
A sample of 101 consecutive admissions to the Hillsborough County Jail Substance Abuse Treatment Program in Tampa, Florida, was examined to identify the patterns of determinants of recent substance abuse during the period of use prior to incarceration.
Abstract
The vast majority (87 percent) of determinants of recent substance abuse were intrapersonal and included 41 percent associated with coping with various negative emotional states such as depression, tension, anxiety, boredom, or loneliness. Enhancement of positive emotional states (35 percent) was another frequent intrapersonal determinant or the use of substances to increase personal pleasure or to celebrate. In only 13 percent of all cases were interpersonal determinants of recent substance abuse identified. Most interpersonal determinants (7 percent of all cases) were associated with coping with frustration and/or anger. Gender appeared to have a greater effect on determinants of recent use than type of major problem substance reported. 4 tables and 37 references