This study attempts to extend what is known about adolescent substance abusers in adolescent-oriented substance abuse treatment by describing and comparing background and pretreatment characteristics and posttreatment outcomes of African American (n = 213), Hispanic (n = 108), and White adolescent (n = 773) substance abusers who participated in the Drug Abuse Treatment Outcome Studies for Adolescents (DATOS-A). The pretreatment data indicated that patients in each group were similar only with respect to basic demographics. Posttreatment comparisons revealed racial/ ethnic differences in serious illegal activity only. Logistic regression results indicated that African American adolescents had a lower likelihood of engaging in serious illegal activity as compared to White adolescents during the posttreatment period. The results of this study provide a mechanism for more comprehensive understanding of adolescent substance abusers, their treatment needs, and their treatment outcomes.
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