Substance Use Trends and Treatment Among Israeli School Dropouts

Widespread international concern exists about school dropout and substance use among high risk youth. This article examines the issue in Israel and the impact of a 90 day treatment program on a prospective sample of youth. A cohort of 77 youths completed a self-report questionnaire prior to receiving substance abuse treatment. These youth were compared to those attending and disengaged from school. With the exception of inhalants that tend to be a substance more commonly used by youth in school, dropouts report much higher rates of substance use especially those referred to treatment. For this population, the impact of a 90 day residential treatment program was evaluated. Results show the potential such treatment has on reducing substance use. Given the paucity of literature on this topic, this paper makes an initial contribution to understanding a growing problem of youth who have dropped out of school and who are substance users.