Early identification of adolescent substance use is one of the most effective possibility to prevent the development of permanent psychiatric ill-health, the establishment of persistent criminal lifestyle and drastic social marginalization. Today most of the biosocial and societal risk factors that lead to adolescent substance abuse are mapped, however the cultural context of these risk factors is rarely studied.

Immigration rate (including all different reasons) is increased exceptionally in today’s world. Acknowledging and learning more about culture-specific patterns of psychiatric ill-health is the only way to offer equal and patient-centred care to those in need without discriminating by their origin.

With the help of a structured and standardized survey the present project aims to enable the identification of culture-specific indicators and risk factors of substance abuse and aggressive antisocial or self-harm behaviors.  

General aim

The project aims to identify culture-specific personality and behavioral-, physical- or psychiatric symptoms to improve upon possibilities for an early identification of those adolescents who may require help and support with their substance use and/or aggressive antisocial or self-harm behaviors to prevent persistence in these destructive behavior patterns in their own natural culture and even in case immigration based on their original cultural matrix even in the host lands.

Specific aims:

1. In an international matrix map the prevalence of basic psychiatric and somatic health problems, self-rated levels of substance use and aggression in samples of high school students and to analyze the associations between these factors
   
   
2. To define the relationships between adolescents’ affect, their involvement in leisure time physical activity and their substance use, level of overt aggressive and self-harm behaviours, and investigate eventual cultural differences.
   
   
3. To describe personality profiles of those who have the highest problem load (most psychiatric and somatic health problems, and highest scores in substance use and aggression measures), and compare these descriptors between the different cultures. Investigate their basic social background factors.
   
   
4. Define culture-specific symptoms and signs predicting negative outcome in adolescents’ behavior with the help of comparison between data collected from adolescents and data collected from addict from outpatient – clinics, in each nation separately.