Drug Use/Abuse Prevalence, Etiology, Prevention, and Treatment in Hispanic Adolescents: A Cultural Perspective

• NCJ Number: 222682
• Journal: Journal of Drug Issues Volume: 38 Issue: 1 Dated: Winter 2008 Pages: 5-36
• Author(s): Guillermo Prado; Jose Szapocznik; Mildred M. Maldonado-Molina; Seth J. Schwartz; Hilda Pantin
• Date Published: 2008
• Length: 32 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Literature Review
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This article presents an overview of the state of drug-abuse research on Hispanic adolescents in the areas of prevalence, etiology, prevention, and treatment from a cultural perspective.

Abstract

Regarding prevalence, compared to non-Hispanic Whites and African-Americans, Hispanic 8th and 10th graders report the highest lifetime, annual, and 30-day prevalence rates for alcohol, cigarette, and licit or illicit drug use, with the exception of amphetamines (Johnson et al., 2007). The relatively high prevalence rates, however, are limited to the 8th and 10th grades; at the 12th grade, the rates of drug use among Hispanics fall between those of African-Americans and non-Hispanic Whites for most major drugs. Hispanic youths' early start of drug use is of concern, because early onset of drug use is associated with more abuse and more severe consequences in later life. The most consistent culture-specific finding in the risk and protection literature on Hispanic adolescents is the link between drug use and acculturation. Hispanic adolescents born in the United States, who have lived more years in the United States, and who are "more acculturated" (typically conceptualized as preference for English language use and/or endorsement of mainstream American practices) show higher rates of delinquency and substance use. This may be due to stress related to the erosion of collectivist values and family connectedness prominent in many Hispanic cultures. The role of culture in the prevention and treatment of drug abuse among Hispanic youth is to bolster culturally rooted protective processes and to reduce the effects of acculturation risk processes. In the intervention/treatment methods described in this article, some aspects of Hispanic culture are embedded within each of the interventions proven to be effective in reducing delinquency/drug abuse among Hispanic adolescents. 121 references