Gender Differences in Adolescents
To highlight gender differences among adolescents and their varying levels of substance use and mental health problems, SAMHSA recently developed 52 new short reports.
Adolescent Behavioral Health: States in Brief, available on the SAMHSA Web site, provide data on adolescents age 12 to 17 in each state, the District of Columbia, and the country as a whole.
The state-by-state breakdowns are presented by gender on substance abuse and mental health problems experienced by adolescents. Data on treatment facilities and admission factors are also included.
Through a variety of charts, graphs, and accompanying text, the reports highlight topics, such as adolescents’ risk perceptions associated with substance use, levels of underage smoking, prevalence of illicit substance and alcohol use, number and type of treatment facilities, trends concerning those seeking treatment, and levels of those needing but not receiving treatment.
For the public health community and state and local authorities, these data may help in the development of community programs targeted to the specific needs of adolescent boys and girls.
Data come from the three national surveys sponsored by SAMHSA—the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, the Treatment Episode Data Set, and the National Survey on Substance Abuse Treatment Services.
These reports are available on the SAMHSA Web site.