Spiritual Orientation among Adolescents in a Drug-Free Residential Therapeutic Community

Abstract

Clinically, the treatment of substance abuse has relied on the Twelve Steps model, which is heavily focused on issues of spirituality. Adolescents may have cognitive and developmental issues that preclude them from taking advantage of the Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) model. To this end, we examined the spiritual orientation and spiritual behaviors among adolescent substance abusers in a drug-free residential therapeutic community (TC). One hundred and eighty-six adolescent clients of a drug-free residential therapeutic community were given a self-report questionnaire about their substance abuse and attitudes toward spirituality. The adolescents had a mean Spiritual Orientation Score of 21.48, reflecting a significantly lower level of spiritual orientation than adults in a similar setting. Also, adolescents who were heavy marijuana users were less spiritual than those adolescents who used marijuana less. Spirituality and affiliation with religious institutions may be considered a protective factor because they represent more conventional beliefs and attitudes and indicate a stronger social bond to conventional society.

KEYWORDS:

• adolescents
• spirituality
• substance abuse
• therapeutic community

Acknowledgments

This project was supported by the Substance Abuse Minority Fellowship from the American Psychiatric Association and the Center for Mental Health Services (RS).

Notes

^a Percent of sample reporting any use prior to TC admission.