One-Year Retrospective Analysis of Adolescent Substance Use Treatment Clinic Cases

Abstract

Objective: This study aimed to examine the sociodemographic, clinical, psychosocial, and substance use characteristics of adolescents admitted to an outpatient Child and Adolescent Substance Addiction Treatment Center (ÇEMATEM) in Türkiye. It also compared adolescents who used a single substance with those who used multiple substances (polysubstance users). Materials and Methods: The study retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 66 adolescents over a one-year period. Standardized assessment tools, including the Addiction Profile Index Adolescent Form (API-A) and the Substance Craving Scale (SCS), were used. Results: The mean age of the sample was 15.97 ± 1.51 years. Polysubstance use was observed in 66.7% of the sample. Compared to monosubstance users, polysubstance users were more likely to be female, slightly older, and had significantly higher rates of prior hospitalization and suicide attempts. They also exhibited significantly higher levels of craving and addiction severity across all API-A domains. The most commonly used substances were alcohol, cannabinoids, stimulants, and methamphetamine. Half of the sample reported concurrent use of alcohol, stimulants, and cannabinoids. Conclusions: Polysubstance use among adolescents is associated with greater psychosocial burden and clinical severity. These findings underscore the need for early identification and tailored interventions for this high-risk group.

Keywords

• Suicide
• Adolescent
• Substance-related disorders
• Risk factors
• Cannabinoids
• Polysubstance

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