ERIC Number: ED072091
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 1971
Pages: 18
Abstractor: N/A
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Attitudes Among a Group of College Students toward Drug-Abuse and the Drug-Abuser.
Ferneau, E.; Mueller, S.
A study of student attitudes toward drug abuse and the drug abuser was conducted, using a modified version of Marcus's "Alcoholism Questionnaire." One hundred twenty-two college students participated. Mean factor scores (MFS) were developed for the nine factors tested. Marcus's "safe operating criterion" (ignore MFS differences that are less than 0.50 and pay particular attention to those greater than 1.00) was used in analyzing results. MFS for this group were compared with those of 2 other groups--120 heroin addicts in a methadone treatment program and 35 college students. The MFS differences between the student and addict groups were below 0.50 on four factors and between 0.50 and 1.00 on the remaining five. On these five factors, it appears that students are more likely to beleive that addicts do and can be helped to recover and are more likely to see addiction as an illness. Addicts are more willing than students to believe that periodic excessive drug users can be addicts. The results of this survey were compared with the results of a similar survey of student attitudes toward alcoholism and the alcoholic. The MFS differences were below 0.50 on 7 factors and below 1.00 on the other two. It was concluded that students are ambivalent in their views of drug abuse and alcoholism; they say that both are illnesses but are undecided about the issues of control and character defect. Therefore it was concluded that we are failing in our education of youth in these areas. A bibliography is provided. (For related documents, see TM 002 332, 333.) (KM)
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