Drug use among maltreated adolescents receiving child welfare services

This study investigated the impact of child maltreatment, child welfare services, parental substance abuse, and parent–child relationship on adolescents' drug use. In a secondary data analysis of 1799 adolescents, data were extracted from the National Survey of Child and Adolescent Well-Being. Ordered probit regression showed that level of hard drug use within the past 30 days related to adolescents' lifetime use of hard drugs, emotional closeness to parent, sexual maltreatment, and receipt of in-home services. Implications for services and research are discussed.