Introduction: Adolescent substance use is a multifactorial social issue that leads to detrimental outcomes.The aim of this study is to understand the association of a lifetime history of substance abuse or dependence with family functioning, childhood victimisation, and depression, among adolescent male inmates in Construction a juvenile detention centre in Malaysia.Methods: This study was cross-sectional involving 230 inmates and was conducted in a juvenile detention centre in Malaysia.The mean age of the participants was 16.65 years, with the highest percentage from the Malay ethnicity (87.
8% where n = 202).The Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview for Children and Adolescents (MINI-KID), Adolescent Alcohol and Drug Involvement Scale (AADIS), Family Adaptability and Cohesion Evaluation Scale (FACES) IV and Juvenile Victimization Questionnaire Second Revision (JVQ-R2) were used as instruments.Results: The prevalence of a lifetime history of substance abuse and substance dependence is 72.6% and 58.3%, respectively.
A lifetime history of substance abuse and dependence had a Book significant association with age, race, religion, and peer/sibling victimisation.Further analysis reveals that an increase in age can be a predictor of both lifetime history of substance abuse and dependence while peer/sibling victimisation may predict lifetime history of substance abuse.There was no significant association of lifetime substance-use disorder with family functioning and depression in the juvenile offenders.Conclusions: Adolescents exposed to peer/sibling victimisation might be at a higher risk of developing a substance-use disorder.At-risk groups need to be identified, assessed, and have intervention early to prevent adverse outcomes.