Club Drug Use Among Delinquent Youth

Abstract

The availability and use of club drugs have increased in the last decade. Media and researchers have responded with increased coverage and a variety of studies. Despite the increased attention, some of these drugs and the rave/club scene in which they seemingly gained popularity are relatively new. Questions remain about the people who use club drugs, how best to go about preventing or dealing with the use of these substances, and the social contexts, subcultures, and manner in which club drugs are used. Complicating matters, the use and users of club drugs seem to be continually evolving. Club drugs are reportedly now available and used in a wide variety of locations, and the users are changing demographically. Members of racial/ethnic groups who previously avoided club drugs are beginning to use these substances, and the average age of onset appears to be decreasing. Additional research on the epidemiology of club drug use among samples that are demographically and geographically diverse is needed. This study is an analysis of factors associated with several measures of club drug use among a sample of delinquent youth in Oregon. Descriptive, bivariate, and multivariate analyses are used to identify factors associated with club drug use and determine whether the current grouping of club drugs is appropriate. Findings indicate that users of club drugs are significantly different from delinquent youth who have not used club drugs on a number of dimensions, including age, engagement in risk behaviors, victimization, home environment, and rave attendance.

Keywords:

• club drugs
• methamphetamine
• youth substance use
• delinquency
• rave

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Christopher P. Krebs

Dr. Christopher P. Krebs earned his B.A. in Sociology from Emory University and his M.S. and Ph.D. in Criminology from Florida State University. He is currently a Senior Research Social Scientist at RTI International, a nonprofit research organization located in North Carolina. Dr. Krebs has led and assisted with numerous research studies in the areas of juvenile justice and delinquency, corrections and offender behavior, substance use, and abuse treatment. He employs both quantitative and qualitative methods and has extensive experience writing proposals, designing studies, developing survey instruments, analyzing data, and reporting findings. He has published and presented on a wide variety of topics.

Danielle M. Steffey

Danielle M. Steffey earned her A.B. in Psychology from Duke University. She is currently a Research Associate in the Center for Crime, Violence, and Justice Research at RTI International. Ms. Steffey has worked on numerous studies in the areas of criminal justice, substance use prevention, substance abuse treatment, violence prevention, and mental health. She has experience collecting and analyzing both quantitative and qualitative data and reporting findings. She has extensive experience managing projects, including multi-site evaluations, and has contributed to several winning proposals. Ms. Steffey has also collaborated in preparing research protocols and analysis plans, as well as in developing and testing data collection instruments.