ASSESSING CLIENT DRUG USE AND PERSONAL/SOCIAL PROBLEMS

THE GOAL IS TO DEVELOP, PRODUCE AND MARKET A SELF-REPORT INSTRUMENT, THE CLINICAL DRUG ABUSE SCALE, A TOOL FOR COUNSELING DRUG USING CLIENTS. IT PROVIDES A PROFILE OF INVOLVEMENT WITH EVERY TYPE OF DRUG, AND CLASSIFIES CLIENTS INTO STYLES OR TYPES BASED ON OVERALL PATTERN OF DRUG USE. AN AGE OF FIRST USE CHART SHOWS WHEN USE OF EACH DRUG WAS INITIATED. THE TEST ALSO ASSESSES A WIDE RANGE OF SOCIAL AND PERSONAL CHARACTERISTICS RELATED TO DRUG USE, PERSONAL/EMOTIONAL AND SOCIAL PROBLEMS; SCHOOL ADJUSTMENT; FAMILY RELATIONSHIPS; PARENT'S DRUG USE; SOCIOECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY; DEVIANCE; CONTEXTS OF DRUG USE; PEER ENCOURAGEMENT; POTENCY OF PEER SANCTIONS; REASONS FOR USE; AND BELIEFS ABOUT DRUG DANGERS. DURING THIS PROJECT, THE TEST WILL BE IMPROVED AND MARKETED. ADDITIONAL DATA WILL BEOBTAINED ON RELIABILITY AND VALIDITY FOR DRUG TREATMENT CLIENTS. A TEST MANUAL WILL BE PREPARED. COUNSELOR TRAINING WORKSHOPS AND VIDEOTAPES WILL BE DEVELOPED AND TESTED. A MARKETING STUDY WILL BE DONE. IN ADDITION TO IMPROVING COUNSELING, THE PROJECT WILL EVENTUALLY YIELD ONGOING EPIDEMIOLOGY DATA ON DRUG TREATMENT CLIENTS AND BE ABASE FOR STUDIES OF THE CORRELATES OF DRUG USE AND OF TREATMENT EFFECTIVENESS.