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Objective: Illicit drug use began to rise all over the world and has become a major public health problem. In most countries, substance abusers, producers, sellers and substance abusers involved in crime under the inşuence of drug or while trying to ensure drug are taken to obligatory treatment programs. “Probation” is one of these practices. Probation increased awareness that addiction is a treatable disease and brought in the principle: ‘Drug addicts should be treated, monitored and reintegrated to society’. By probation, drug addicts who do not accept that, untreated in this area or discontinued the treatment -a group which is very close to criminal behavior has been able to achieve. In this study, adolescents referred to an addiction treatment unit by Probation between the years of 2005-2013 were investigated whether there is a determinant in ensuring their sobriety due to sociodemographic characteristics, drug use, other crime stories and family characteristics.
Method: All patients admitted to an adolescent substance abuse treatment center between the years 2005-2013 were examined retrospectively. The data from files of the cases were transferred to the data sheet prepared by researchers including the first age of onset of substance use, the age of first contact, drugs and psychotropic substances used, the completed years of education, whether mother and father alive/dead and self/step. Except these questions criminal records, working experience and street life experience were examined from file records. The presence of street life experience was evaluated by questioning the category of conduct disorder in the DSM-IV TR criteria: has run away from home overnight at least twice while living in parental or parental surrogate home (or once without returning for a lengthy period). Those admitted in a way other than family or probation (social services, health measures, school etc.) were excluded from the research and thus the sample was composed of 1528 patients. 455 (29,8%) of these cases were directed by probation offices to our treatment center. 1073 (70,2%) patients applied via family. SPSS 16.0 program has been used for the statistical assessment. Quantitative variables were compared by t test and chi-square test was used to compare categorical variables. The statistical significance was adopted as p<0.05.
Results: The difference between the two groups in terms of age of onset substance use is statistically significant and the earliest age of onset of substance use was in adolescents applied via family. In terms of cannabis, inhalants and ecstasy use, a significant difference was determined statistically between family and probation groups. 46.1% of patients who applied via family previously have been treated in other treatment services. The presence of street life, substance preferences and completed academic year were significantly different between the groups of probationers. Adolescent probationers living with both of the self parents had more positive features.
Conclusion: Family group show different characteristics to the probationers in terms of substance use characteristics, family and individual features. Probationers who show positive results tend to have more positive features of substance choices, street life experience, completed academic year and family characteristics.