NCJ Number
218640
Journal
Journal of Youth and Adolescence Volume: 36 Issue: 4 Dated: May 2007 Pages: 503-516
Date Published
May 2007
Length
14 pages
Annotation
This study explored whether cultural orientation served as a protective factor against tobacco and marijuana smoking for African-American young women.
Abstract
Results indicated that traditional health beliefs and practices were risk factors for tobacco and marijuana use while traditional religious beliefs and practices acted as protective factors against tobacco smoking. Familial interdependency and traditional religious beliefs and practices emerged as protective factors against marijuana smoking for young African-American women. The findings suggest that smoking prevention and cessation programs should focus on the interpersonal factors that may strengthen African-American young women’s religious and familial bonding. Likewise, attention to community level factors, such as cultural proscriptions from neighborhood religious institutions, may be important for reducing the propensity to use marijuana among African-American young women. Future research should use additional data sources to confirm the self-reported tobacco and marijuana use of African-American young women used in this study. Participants were 145 African-American college students recruited from a predominantly White university who completed a series of questionnaires, including the African American Acculturation Scale-Revised (AAAS-R), the shortened Individualism/Collectivism (IN-DCOL) Scale, a Tobacco and Drug Use Survey, and a background survey. Data were analyzed using multiple regression models. Tables, references