It has long since been established that children raised by single parents are more likely to become sexually active, commit illegal acts, and use illegal drugs at young ages. What has not been determined is whether or not there is a causal effect associated with the disintegration of the family. Would these children have been more likely to participate in ‘deviant’ behavior even if their family...

Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. The National Institute of Justice (NIJ) recommends that applicants consider evaluating this technology along cost effectiveness lines, whether the application is sited in Pima County or some other system. While Pima County uses their technology in a mail r...

BACKGROUND Non-medical/illegal use of prescription stimulants popularly have been referred to as "study drugs". This paper discusses the current prevalence and consequences of misuse of these drugs and implications of this information for drug policy. RESULTS Study drugs are being misused annually by approximately 4% of older teens and emerging adults. Yet, there are numerous consequences of ...

BACKGROUND Patients regard health care professionals as role models for leading a healthy lifestyle. Health care professionals' own behaviour and attitudes concerning healthy lifestyle have an influence in counselling patients. The aim of this study was to assess consumption of alcohol, cigarettes and illegal substances among physicians and medical students in two German states: Brandenburg and...

AIMS The objective of this study was to estimate the social cost of the consumption of illegal drugs in Spain. DESIGN We performed a cost-of-illness study, using a prevalence approximation and a societal perspective. The estimation of costs and consequences referred to 1997. As direct costs we included health-care costs, prevention, continuing education, research, administrative costs, non-go...

Any of a number of drugs acting on the central nervous system in such a way as to cause mental disturbance, imaginary experiences, coma, and even death. Many of these are narcotics and/or alkaloids; some are derived from plants and others are made synthetically. They differ in degree of addiction and hallucinatory effect. Their sale and possession (other than by physicians) is illegal in the U....

Previous research documents increased health problems, somatic complaints, and negative health behaviors among victims of physical and sexual violence. This study extended existing literature by examining the unique effects of partner psychological abuse on physical health and the moderating effects of approach and avoidance coping strategies. Psychological abuse was positively related to illeg...

The polydrug pattern of drug use by pregnant women, combined with the varying purity, dosage, and timing during pregnancy when drugs are taken, makes it very difficult to determine the developmental impact of any specific drug. Nevertheless, studies of drug-exposed newborns suggest an array of behavioral characteristics that make their care challenging, and a few studies indicate that some pren...

THE FACTS In 2013, more than 43,900 Americans died from drug overdose. Prescription drugs contributed to most of those deaths. Opioid pain relievers like oxycodone, hydrocodone, and methadone were involved in more than 16,000 of those deaths (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2015). Approximately 46 Americans die every day from drug overdoses (Jones, Mack, & Paulozzi, 2013). Opi...