Research That Matters (January 17 - 20, 2008)

Background and Purpose: Inhalation of gasoline, glue, and other volatile solvents for the purposes of intoxication is highly prevalent in low income and otherwise disadvantaged populations served by social workers. Prior studies have identified high rates of inhalant abuse among reservation-based American Indians, Hispanic youth living in barrio areas, and street youth living in many areas of the United States. This study was funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse and is among the first and largest investigations to assess the characteristics of incarcerated youth who abuse inhalants. This report specifically examined factors that distinguish lifetime inhalant users from nonusers and low vs. high frequency inhalant users in a large state juvenile justice system.

Methods: Residents (N = 723) of 27 Missouri Division of Youth Services (DYS) rehabilitation facilities completed interviews assessing substance use, mental health symptoms, antisocial attitudes, trauma, suicidality, and criminality. Face-to-face interviews were conducted with nearly the entire population of incarcerated youth in DYS at the time the study was conducted. Only 5 of 728 youth refused or were unable to fully participate in the study. All youth completed the Volatile Solvent Screening Inventory and Comprehensive Solvent Assessment Interview developed by the first author.

Results: Participants averaged 15.5 (SD = 1.2) years of age, were ethnically diverse, and predominantly male. More than one-third (36.9 %) reported lifetime inhalant use; nearly half of the 267 users had tried 4 or more inhalants. Inhalant users evidenced significantly higher levels of criminal behavior, antisocial attitudes, current psychiatric symptoms, earlier onset of offending and substance use, and more extensive histories of head injury, kidney disease, hormonal problems, mental illness, suicidality, trauma, and substance-related problems than nonusers. In multiple logistic models, race, geographic area of residence, fearlessness, suicidality, and polydrug use distinguished inhalant users and nonusers. Measures of cognitive impairment, impulsivity, fearlessness, blame externalization, polydrug use, and substance-related problems were associated with greater lifetime frequency of inhalant use.

Conclusions and Implications: Inhalant use was widespread in this sample of incarcerated youth and associated with a disturbingly extensive set of psychosocial and health impairments. Social workers who work with youth in juvenile justice settings and other disadvantaged client populations should be attuned to the possibility that their clients may be abusing inhalants. Approaches to identifying and intervening with inhalant users will be discussed.