Volatile solvent use among Western Australian adolescents.

Semistructured interviews were conducted with 40 adolescents who reported inhaling volatile solvents. Their average age was 14.2 years, and they used a range of substances.

Reputations, self-concepts and coping strategies of volatile solvent users.

Data pertaining to the reputations, self-concepts and coping strategies of thirty-one secondary school Volatile Solvent Users (VSUs), forty-four ex-VSUs, and forty-eight non-VSUs in the Perth Metropolitan area of Western Australia were obtained using the High School Student Activity Questionnaire. Findings revealed that significant differences between current VSUs, ex-VSUs, and non-VSUs were more attributable to factors of reputation enhancement than to factors of either self-concept or coping strategies. Current VSUs identified themselves as both having and wanting to have a more non-confronting reputation, and as admiring drug-related activities significantly more than both ex-VSUs and non-VSUs.

The prevalence and frequency of drug use among Western Australian metropolitan high school students.

Data pertaining to prevalence and frequency of drug use were obtained from 1,394 Western Australian metropolitan high school students using a self-report questionnaire. Alcohol, marijuana, tobacco, hallucinogens, and amphetamines were reported as the most prevalent substances, with over 50% of "current drug users" using alcohol and marijuana on a frequent basis (i.e.

Amateur tattooing practices and beliefs among high school adolescents.

Purpose: The objective of this research was to investigate the reasons, experiences, methods, and perceived health consequences of obtaining tattoos among a sample of Western Australian high school adolescents.

Methods: Information pertaining to levels of health awareness and school social behavior were obtained. Data were gathered in two phases using a questionnaire and follow-up interviews.