The Importance of Fulfilling Unmet Needs of Rural and Urban Adolescents With Substance Abuse

PROBLEM: Because of the negative impact on health of drug and alcohol use, this study examined adolescent needs and substance use. METHODS: Subjects (N = 191) were adolescents aged 14 to 19 in a rural and an urban high school. A modified version of the Need Subscale from the Addiction Research Center Maturation Scale measured a feeling of satisfaction related to meeting basic needs, and an investigator's prepared questionnaire elicited current use of alcohol, nicotine, and marijuana. FINDINGS: Individuals with feelings of unmet needs were more likely to be current drinkers. Rural/urban residence was not a significant predictor in a multivariate analysis, but religiosity was. CONCLUSIONS: A feeling of unmet needs seems to be an important factor in adolescent substance use.