Problem Identification and Referral

According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration's (SAMHSA's) Center for Substance Abuse Prevention (CSAP), there are six interpersonal domains that contribute toward a person's potential for substance abuse or dependence: individual, peer, family, school, community, and societal influences. Not only are risk factors for substance abuse potentially found within each of these six experiential domains, but there are also protective factors within each domain that may reduce the probability of substance use. One of the primary aims of early problem identification and referral is to amplify the protective factors within an individual via education and targeted intervention and to reduce the risk factors within those six domains wherever feasible.

Problem identification and referral is one of the six substance abuse prevention strategies identified ...