Comparison of Child Psychiatry Residents’ and Training Directors’ Perceptions of Training for Alcohol and Substance Abuse Treatment

Residents anddirectors of accredited child and adolescent psychiatry programs (N = 117) in the United States were surveyed (with a response rate of 89% and 76.9%, respectively) to determine the extent and adequacy of training offered for the identification and management of substance abuse disorders. Of the responders, 24% of the residents indicated some exposure (≥1 hour) to an adolescent drug abuse treatment facility during their training. In contrast, 46% of the directors reported that their residents had such exposure. Residents consistently reported training to be less adequate than did directors. Only half of the residents reported that they felt adequately prepared to identify and initially manage a substance-abusing adolescent, whereas a somewhat higher percentage of the directors (59%) felt that their residents were adequately prepared for this function.