Solvent Abuse

1 Introduction.- 1.1 History of Solvent Abuse.- 1.2 The Abused Substances.- 1.3 Neurological and Neuropsychological Consequences of Abuse.- 1.3.1 Introduction.- 1.3.2 Studies of Occupational Exposure to Solvents.- 1.3.3 Solvent Abuse: Neurological Sequelae.- 1.3.4 Solvent Abuse: Neuropsychological Sequelae.- 1.4 Additional Issues to Be Adressed in the Study.- 1.4.1 The Prevalence and Pattern of Solvent Abuse Among Secondary School Children.- 1.4.2 Socio-demographic and Clinical Characteristics of Solvent Abusers.- 1.5 Rationale of the Design of the Present Investigation.- 1.5.1 Sample Size.- 1.5.2 Comparability of Cases and Controls on Factors Other than Solvent Abuse.- 1.5.3 Acute Intoxication.- 1.5.4 Blindness.- 1.5.5 The Choice of Measure to Assess Outcome.- 1.5.6 Test Performance Antecedent to Solvent Abuse.- 2 Method.- 2.1 Summary.- 2.2 The Target Population.- 2.3 Parental Permission and Absentees.- 2.4 The Screening Questionnaire.- 2.5 The Individual Assessments.- 2.5.1 Selection of Children for Individual Assessment.- 2.5.2 The Interview.- 2.5.3 Toxicological Examination.- 2.5.4 Neuropsychological Assessment.- 2.5.5 Lung Function Testing.- 2.6 Information Obtained from the Schools.- 2.6.1 Test Performance Prior to Solvent Abuse.- 2.6.2 School Attendance.- 2.7 Definition and Composition of the Case and Control Groups.- 2.8 The Follow-up Assessment.- 2.8.1 The Self-completed Solvent and Drug Use Questionnaire.- 2.8.2 The Follow-up Neuropsychological Assessment Battery.- 2.9 Statistical Methods.- 3 Results.- 3.1 Epidemiological Aspects of Solvent Abuse.- 3.1.1 Prevalence of Reported Solvent Abuse.- 3.1.2 Factors Affecting the Prevalence of Solvent Abuse.- 3.1.2.1 School.- 3.1.2.2 School Year and Sex.- 3.1.3 Frequency of Solvent Abuse.- 3.1.4 Types of Products Abused.- 3.1.5 Number of Different Products Abused.- 3.2 Comparison Between the Questionnaire, Interview and Toxicological Findings.- 3.2.1 Agreement Between the Questionnaire and Interview Findings.- 3.2.2 Toxicological Findings of the Interview - confirmed Cases and Controls.- 3.3 The History and Pattern of Solvent Abuse in Cases Confirmed at Interview.- 3.4 Background Characteristics of the Solvent Abusers.- 3.4.1 Age, Sex and Ethnic Background.- 3.4.2 Family and Domestic Factors.- 3.4.3 General Health and Accidents.- 3.4.4 Respiratory Health and Allergies.- 3.4.5 Cigarette Smoking.- 3.4.6 Alcohol Consumption.- 3.4.7 Behavioral and Emotional Aspects of Health.- 3.4.8 School Attendance and Performance.- 3.5 Psychological Test Results.- 3.5.1 Comparison Between Cases and Controls.- 3.5.2 Relationship with Frequency of Solvent Abuse.- 3.5.3 Relationship with Other Aspects of Solvent Abuse.- 3.6 Educational Test Results Antecedent to Solvent Abuse.- 3.7 Follow-up.- 3.7.1 The Follow-up Samples and Assessments.- 3.7.2 Comparison Between Cases and Controls at Follow-up.- 4 Discussion.- 4.1 Epidemiological Aspects of Solvent Abuse.- 4.1.1 Overall Prevalence.- 4.1.2 Variation by School Year.- 4.1.3 Variation by Sex.- 4.2 The Practice of Solvent Abuse.- 4.2.1 Pattern, History, and Degree of Involvement In the Practice.- 4.2.2 Associations with Cigarette Smoking, Drinking, and Illicit Drug Use.- 4.3 Characteristics of Children Who Abused Solvents.- 4.3.1 Ethnic Background.- 4.3.2 Socio-economic and Domestic Circumstances.- 4.3.3 General and Respiratory Health.- 4.3.4 Behavioral and Emotional Problems.- 4.4 Neuropsychological Consequences of Solvent Abuse.- 5 Summary of Main Findings.- Appendix A: Self-completed Screening Questionnaire.- Appendix B: Psychological Test Battery (Initial Assessment).- Appendix C: Psychological Test Introduced for Follow-up Assessment.- References.- Tables.- Figures.