Co-occurence of substance abuse with conduct, anxiety, and depression disorders in juvenile delinquents

FRANÇAIS :
Examen de la co-occurence de la toxicomanie et de trois troubles psychiatriques (troubles du comportement, dépression, anxiété) sur un échantillon de jeunes délinquants incarcérés. A l'aide d'interviews-diagnostics, on range les participants dans l'une de ces trois catégories: non-toxicomanes, toxicomanes consommateurs d'alcool ou de marijuana, polytoxicomanes, et on examine la fréquence des diagnostics et le nombre des symptômes de ces trois troubles. Ces résultats indiquent un accroîssement avec la toxicomanie des diagnostics de troubles du comportement, d'anxiété et de dépression. En cas de polytoxicomanie, la probabilité de diagnostiquer plus d'un autre trouble dépasse 50%. Discussion de ces résultats et de leur explication.
ENGLISH :
The purpose of the current study was to examine the co-occurrence of substance abuse and three other psychiatric disorders (conduct disorder, depression, anxiety) in an incacerated juvenile delinquent sample. Diagnostic interviews were utilized to place participants in one of three groups: No substance abuse, alcohol/marijuana abuse, or polysubstance abuse. Frequency of diagnosis and number of symptoms of three psychiatric disorders were then examined. The results indicated that the diagnosis of conduct disorders increased significantly with the occurence of substance abuse. Also, the number of symptoms for conduct disorder, anxiety, and depression increased with substance abuse. With polysubstance abuse the probality of having more than one of the other psychiatric diagnoses was above 50%. Potential explanations for the findings, focusing on the developmental trajectory for conduct problems and self-medication for internalizing disorders, are discussed.