Drug Abuse and Identity in Mexican Americans: Theoretical and Empirical Considerations

• NCJ Number: 155012
• Journal: Hispanic Journal of Behavioral Sciences Volume: 13 Issue: 2 Dated: (May 1991) Pages: 209-225
• Author(s): F G Castro; E V Sharp; E H Barrington; M Walton; R A Rawson
• Date Published: 1991
• Length: 17 pages
• Grant Number(s): DA05661
• Sponsoring Agency: National Institute on Drug Abuse
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Research (Theoretical)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: DCC

Annotation

Based on theoretical and clinical literature, a theoretical framework is proposed to describe a person's transition from casual user to posttreatment addict; this model is applied to Mexican Americans.

Abstract

The proposed four-stage model proposes that drug use identity, a latent factor, undergoes a progressive transformation from identity as a casual user during the initiation state (Stage 1), to identity as a drug addict at the treatment entry stage (Stage 2), to identity as a recovering addict at the late treatment stage (Stage 3). At the posttreatment recovery stage (Stage 4), this new identity as a recovering addict may operate as a mediator of the social influences effected by a sober reference group. These social influences prompt a sustained identity as a recovering addict, along with enhanced ethnic pride, increased social role responsibility, and enhanced health motivation and behavior. For drug-addicted Mexican Americans, enhanced ethnic pride, whether discovered or reestablished, may develop as a consequence of a progression toward a maturing identity. Directions for theory and research based on this framework are discussed. Figure and 41 references