Ethnic and Gender Differences and Similarities in Adolescent Drug Use and Refusals of Drug Offers

• NCJ Number: 178176
• Journal: Substance Use and Misuse Volume: 34 Issue: 8 Dated: 1999 Pages: 1059-1083
• Author(s): Dreama G. Moon Ph.D.; Michael L. Hecht Ph.D.; Kristina M. Jackson Ph.D.; Regina E. Spellers MBA
• Date Published: 1999
• Length: 25 pages
• Grant Number(s): 5 ROI DA 05629-10A1
• Sponsoring Agency: National Institute on Drug Abuse
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: DCC

Annotation

This study examined the relationships among ethnicity, gender, drug use, and resistance to drug offers among a sample of 2,622 African American, Mexican American, and white American seventh graders in Phoenix, Ariz.

Abstract

The independent variable and outcome measures were operationalized by scales that measured gender and ethnicity, whether they had even been offered drugs, lifetime drug use, drug use in the last month, age at first drug use, type of drug offer, relationship between the offeree and the drug offerer, location of the drug offer, and resistance strategy. Multivariate analyses of variance and chi-square analyses were computed to examine the relationship between both ethnicity and gender and drug use, characteristics of the drug offer, and the resistance process. Findings show that adolescents did not apparently have large or sophisticated repertoires of offer-resistance strategies. Most offers came from acquaintances in contrast to more intimate offers among older youths. Ethnicity had significant effects on drug use and the drug-offer process. Mexican-Americans received more offers, used more drugs, and were more likely to be offered drugs by peer family members and at parties. European Americans were more likely to receive drug offers from acquaintances, at friends' homes, and on the street. African-Americans were more likely to receive offers from dating partners and parents and in the park; they were also more likely to resist offers of drug- using explanations. Gender significantly affected drug offers and types of offers. Males were more at risk for offers and drug use at a younger age. Offers of drugs to males were more likely to come from parents or other males, and offers to females were more likely to come from other females or dating partners. Males also were more likely to receive drug offers that appealed to their social standing or self-image; females received either simple offers or those that minimized drug effects. Finally, offers of drugs to males were more likely to be made in public, and those to females were more likely to occur in private. Cultural explanations are offered for these findings. 8 figures, 5 tables, and 55 references