Analyses of Substance Abuse and Treatment Need Issues

Introduction

The chapters in this publication represent a collection of analyses of important substance abuse issues conducted by SAMHSA’s Office of Applied Studies (OAS). These studies have been completed during the past several years and made available by SAMHSA as working papers or presented at professional meetings by OAS analysts. They have been compiled in this report with little or no revision of content. Although these studies use data from a variety of sources, most of them use primarily data from the National Household Survey on Drug Abuse (NHSDA).

The first study, Children at Risk Because of Parental Substance Abuse, estimates the number of children potentially affected by parental substance use and abuse. Based on the large number of children estimated to be living in households with a parent who uses illicit drugs, meets criteria for substance dependence or shows a need for illicit drug abuse treatment, this study concluded that a substantial number of children are at risk because of parental drug use.

The next set of studies discuss some recently occurring drug abuse patterns of concern. The results of the analysis given in the paper Heroin Abuse in the United States indicated increases in heroin use primarily among younger persons, who are smoking and sniffing rather than injecting. The paper Methamphetamine Abuse in the United States documents a large increase in the abuse of methamphetamine during the early 1990s. Although most activity occurred in the western region of the U.S., the analysis also indicated that methamphetamine abuse appears to be increasing in the mid-West and in some southern States. The results of the analysis in the paper Gamma Hydroxy Butyrate in the United States suggest that there has been an increase in the abuse of GHB, based on increases in GHB-related emergency department episodes which have primarily occurred since 1992.

The next two studies are on health, social, and psychological problems that are associated with drug use. The first study focuses on the population 12 and older and primarily examines the frequency of use of drugs and its relationship with reported problems, including problems that respondents report as being caused by their drug use. The analysis indicated that levels of marijuana and cocaine use were strongly associated with some social, psychological and physical problem measures. Significant relationships between drug use and self-perceived health status, days missed from work and driving under the influence of alcohol or other drugs were also found. The second study examines the association between adolescent self-reported problems and marijuana use. It demonstrates a strong relationship between the frequency of marijuana use and self-reported problems, particularly delinquent and aggressive behavior and behavior that may be illegal.

The final two studies in this collection address the methodological issues involved in estimating the number of people needing treatment for a drug abuse problem. Estimating Substance Abuse Treatment Need From a National Household Survey presents methods that have been considered by OAS for estimating drug abuse treatment need and research on these methods. Based on this research it presents an improved method for estimating drug abuse treatment need using the NHSDA. However, there is a need to continue research to refine the technique to ensure better estimates of treatment need. The paper Changes Affecting NHSDA Estimates of Treatment Need for 1994-1996 describes modifications that were made beginning in 1994 to the NHSDA questionnaire and data editing. The paper explains how these survey changes affect the estimates of treatment need and the new algorithms for estimating treatment need that have been used by OAS for the 1994-1996 NHSDAs. It also includes estimates of treatment need by demographic characteristics for 1991-1996.

This page was last updated on June 03, 2008.

SAMHSA, an agency in the Department of Health and Human Services, is the Federal Government's lead agency for improving the quality and availability of substance abuse prevention, addiction treatment, and mental health services in the United States.