Demographic differences in substance use problems among juvenile delinquents.

This article presents two studies that used community-based, national samples of adolescents to compare demographic differences between delinquent and nondelinquent respondents. Results indicated that ethnic differences in alcohol problems were similar in the delinquent and nondelinquent groups, with whites reporting higher levels of alcohol problems. In contrast, age differences were smaller among delinquents than nondelinquents, which pointed to a heightened risk for both alcohol and marijuana problems among younger delinquents. Future research can explore biological and psychosocial factors that increase risk for substance problems among younger delinquents.