Empirical evidence suggests that substance abuse is a heterogeneous syndrome with many important variations in etiology, onset and course, presenting symptoms, and lifetime substance abuse patterns. This study set out to establish and validate a multidimensional empirically based typology of clinically referred adolescent substance abusers. The study sample consisted of 141 adolescents between the ages of 12 to 17 and their families who sought drug abuse treatment at Temple Teen Care (TTC). Data were collected as part of a randomized clinical trial comparing the effectiveness of two outpatient treatments for adolescent drug abuse. In constructing the typology, 33 variables from 3 domains were used: individual and familial risk factors, adolescent substance use, and associated problems. The results indicate that adolescent substance abusers are a heterogeneous group comprising clinically meaningful subtypes that can be differentiated on the basis of a number of individual and family risk factors, associated problems, and substance use severity. The subtypes identified were: juvenile justice involved substance abusers, comorbid substance abusers, and heavy substance abusers. The most common subtype was juvenile justice involved substance abusers which demonstrated a relatively high legal involvement. The results indicate a need for greater attention to and more comprehensive assessment of individual and family risk factors, correlated emotional and behavioral problems, and substance use patterns in working with substance abusing teens and their families. References