Handbook of Drug Use Etiology : Theory, Methods, and Empirical Findings

The etiology of drug use represents a complex interplay of personality, genetic, environmental, and cultural influences on behavior that are difficult to dissect or treat as independent forces. Thus, research in this field has produced a host of differing theories and models to describe the factors influencing drug use. The resultant literature is impressive, yet overwhelming and often contradictory.

This handbook is the first volume to cover this dynamic field comprehensively.

In this handbook, a roster of premier researchers present differing theoretical perspectives and a mix of viewpoints on complex issues ranging from causation to consequences, and including a rich discussion of prevention practices and how they influence policy.

Lawrence M. Scheier, PhD, is president of LARS Research Institute, Inc., a Nevada-based, not-for-profit company offering a full line of research services encompassing health promotion, program evaluation, program development, and behavioral science technology transfer. He is also adjunct professor of psychiatry in the School of Medicine at Washington University St. Louis and voluntary associate professor at the Weill Medical College, Cornell University, affiliated with the Department of Public Health, Division of Prevention and Health Behavior, Institute for Prevention Research.
 
Dr. Scheier received a BA in psychology from Duke University in 1978, an MA in psychology from New York University in 1983, and a PhD in educational psychology and technology from the University of Southern California in 1988. He is a developmental psychologist whose research emphasizes the causes and consequences of drug use and evaluation of programs that promote positive youth adaptation. His specific interests include the role of social cognition in health behaviors, identity formation, self-concept, and risk and protective factors that nurture developmental change.
 
For the past 20 years he has examined the efficacy of several school- and community-based drug prevention programs. He uses multivariate and causal modeling strategies with longitudinal data to examine factors that influence growth and change in normal development as well as investigating programmatic change through drug abuse prevention programs. He has received funding from various federal agencies and engaged the private business sector in research on youth health.
 
He resides in Las Vegas, Nevada, where he pursues an active lifestyle and raises his two teenage daughters.