The Relationship Between Mental Health and Substance Abuse Among Adolescents

Chapter 2: Data and Methods

This report presents an examination of the association between psychological functioning and substance use among adolescents aged 12 to 17 using data from the combined 1994-1996 National Household Survey on Drug Abuse. The SAMHSA survey, conducted annually, provides estimates of the prevalence of use of a variety of illicit drugs, alcohol, and tobacco, based on a nationally representative sample of the civilian noninstitutionalized population age 12 years and older. In addition, the 1994-1996 surveys include mental health data not previously available. A sample of 13,831 adolescents aged 12 to 17 was interviewed. These respondents represent an average annual population of approximately 22 million adolescents residing in the United States.

The NHSDA interview is designed to maximize honest reporting of substance use. Respondents are given the standard confidentiality assurances. Self-administered assessment instruments are used to collect information about substance use and mental health, so that responses are not revealed to the interviewer or to other persons present at the interview. Self-administered questionnaires are particularly useful for enhancing honest reporting of substance use by adolescents (Turner et al., 1992). Mental health was assessed with the YSR, a 118-item self-administered checklist (though a small percentage of adolescents in the combined sample, approximately 5 percent, preferred to have the interviewer administer the YSR). In the combined 1994-1996 data, approximately 50 percent of the adolescent interviews were conducted with only the interviewer and respondent present. The majority (more than 70 percent) of the interviews were free from distractions or interruptions.

The interviews were conditional on parental permission and required approximately one hour to complete. Upon completion, the questionnaire was placed in an envelope, sealed, and mailed back to the data collection contractor. To ensure anonymity, no name, address, or other identifying information was included in the envelope.

This page was last updated on June 16, 2008.

SAMHSA, an agency in the Department of Health and Human Services, is the Federal Government's lead agency for improving the quality and availability of substance abuse prevention, addiction treatment, and mental health services in the United States.