Healthy Youth Program Project

Psychiatric Disorders Among Youth Substance Users

Sites: North Ave & Kedzie & 4754 W. Madison

This federally funded study seeks to clarify the relationships between injection drug use, psychiatric problems, service utilization, and HIV risk behavior. Study aims are to:

• estimate the prevalence of Axis I and Axis II DSM-IV disorders among young IDU
• identify correlates of psychiatric disorders in this population
• identify gaps in access to psychiatric care, drug treatment, and HIV/STD prevention services among young IDU with and without various psychiatric disorders
• compare rates of unsafe sex and injection behaviors among young IDU with and without psychiatric problems
• compare HIV/HCV-prevention knowledge, pro-prevention attitudes and norms, and self-efficacy for prevention behavior of young IDU with and without psychiatric problems
• test an Information-Motivation-Behavioral Skills (IMB) model of HIV risk behavior on a sample of young IDU.