Epidemiology of Inhalant Abuse - Archives - National Institute on ...

TABLE 5. Solvent use among 1,836 students according to school
achievement, employment, and drinking patterns <strong>of</strong> relatives
(percentage).
Student condition Situation
Nonusers Users
(n = 1,407) (n = 249)
Academic performance No delay 29.3 21.5
1-2 grades below 41.0 41.3
3 grades below 29.7 37.2*
Relative “drinking
too much”
Employment Yes
No
Father and/or
mother
Brothers
Other
13.8 26.1*
3.6 7.4*
24.6 28.4
32.6 51.5*
61.8 41.9*
KEY: * Differs significantly from nonuser group (p 0.02).
SOURCE: Carlini-Cotrim and Carlini (1988a).
according to the kind <strong>of</strong> relationship maintained with their families,
school, and the street environment itself. As would be expected, boys
and girls lacking any family ties tend to beg and rob much more
frequently than their peers who still hold those attachments. On the other
hand, the latter are the ones most likely to be employed in odd jobs and
services (Forster et al. 1992). Additionally, the three groups mentioned
presented marked differences regarding their involvement in drug abuse
behavior (Forster et al. 1992). This point will be discussed in greater
detail later.
Unfortunately, differentiation among several groups <strong>of</strong> street children,
with its social, political, and educational implications, only recently has
been acknowledged by Brazilian academics. This differentiation,
71