drugs because they are chronically distressed and drugs help make
them feel better. However, research on alcoholics shows that the
connection between depression and alcoholism is not strong and that
the depression often appears well after the onset of alcoholism. On
the other hand, Tschann and associates (1994) found that general
emotional distress can precede drug use among sixth and seventh
graders. The results presented here suggest that depression may be a
risk factor for drug use primarily among young adolescent females