"Catalyst" is a publication of the U.S. Department of Education's Higher Education Center for Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse and Violence Prevention. This issue contains the following articles: (1) The National Study of Student Hazing Initial Findings; (2) The Social Norms Marketing Research Project--An Update; (3) Message From William…

Examines possible differences in psychopathological characteristics among flashbackers, nonflashback drug users, and nondrug user controls. Results indicate that flashbackers show no more general maladjustment than the nonflashback drug users. (Author)

The catalog of agents that have been used to produce subjective changes is impressive, and each generation not only adds a few new substances but seems impelled to re-evaluate the old. Presented at Western Pharmacology Society, Honolulu, January 27-February 1, 1975. (Author)

Three surveys representative of students in a large metropolitan university taken in February, 1971, November, 1971, and in October, 1972 show that the proportion of students who have tried or use marijuana has stabilized at .77, but the proportion of daily users continues to rise significantly. (Author)

The purpose of this study was to determine whether marihuana users differ from non-users in their orientation toward past, present and future. Results suggest a significant relationship exists between marihuana use and past orientation. (Author)

Results of this study clearly indicate a relationship between guilt and experience, attitudes, and knowledge regarding drugs. They support Mosher's conceptualization that guilt as a personality predisposition results in the inhibition of behaviors that are culturally prohibited. (Author)

A survey of military offenders' drug abuse histories, both prior to and after entry on active duty, was conducted at the United States Army Retraining Brigade in the fall of 1975. Results indicate that a substantial number of trainees began to abuse drugs prior to entering the military. (Author)

Previous Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) research has largely failed to detect differences using standard univariate methods. The current study used multiple discriminant analysis successfully to generate two orthogonal functions that accounted for virtually all of the variance between groups. (Author)

The purpose of this study was to determine the significance of possible relationships between birth order and polydrug use patterns of heroin addicts prior to undergoing treatment. Overrepresentation of "only child" heroin addicts was evident among the population studied. (Author)

A study was done to determine if low self-concept is a common denominator as a causative factor of drug abuse among adolescents. The results showed that 75.5 percent of the subjects considered low self-concept to be one cause of their turning to drugs and 91.9 percent felt that boredom and curiosity was another. (Author)

The objective of the study was to develop a test which could measure both the qualitative and quantitative aspects of drug-using behavior, including such factors as attitudes toward drugs, experience with drugs, and knowledge about drugs. The Drug Use Scale was developed containing 134 items and dealing with five classes of drugs: marijuana,…

This follow-up study was undertaken to assess consistencies or changes in attitudes and behavior of self-reported Mexican American drug users from 1973 (N=254) to 1977 (N=150). Analysis of the data indicated significant changes in the users' socioeconomic status, home environment, school related variables, and attitudes toward drug use. (Author)

Clients enrolled in drug programs tend to be young, counter-culture, or ethnic minority individuals. Describes efforts of a non-opiate drug treatment program to reach middle American drug misusers. Attempts included television public service messages and newspaper articles. This campaign was not cost-effective for attracting clients. (Author)

Primary heroin abusers who remained in a voluntary drug-free treatment program for an average of nine months were carefully matched with not-retained control subjects. Marijuana was used by the retained subjects as a heroin substitute and those who used marijuana were more apt to remain in the treatment program. (Author)

Reports two studies of effects of high and low fear messages about drugs. In the first study three levels of threat appeal about marijuana were used. The second study concerned attitudes toward a non-existent drug-MOT. The effects of fear level for MOT were very large and indicate that high fear appeals are superior. (Author)