Delinquency and Regular Solvent Abuse: an unfavourable combination?

Summary Forty‐seven consecutive admissions of male adolescent delinquents to the secure unit of a regional assessment centre were assessed using 2 self‐report questionnaires (Great Ormond Street (GOS) Mood Questionnaire and General Health 28‐item (GHQ‐28) Questionnaire), and a semi‐structured interview schedule covering the following areas–demographic data, family characteristics, educational history, solvent abuse data, criminal history and other drug use. Twenty of the 47 delinquents were regular solvent abusers. The solvent‐abusing delinquents differed significantly from those that did not abuse solvents in that more of them were depressed, their age at first arrest was younger and more misused certain drugs. Many from both groups had a history of adverse environmental circumstances (e.g. family, educational, social class) with a tendency for the regular solvent‐abusing delinquents to be worse off. The possible interactions and relevance of all of these factors and findings are discussed, and it is concluded that delinquents who regularly abuse solvents might comprise an especially vulnerable group.