NCJ Number
216564
Journal
Journal of Ethnicity in Substance Abuse Volume: 5 Issue: 3 Dated: 2006 Pages: 103-117
Date Published
2006
Length
15 pages
Annotation
This study collected longitudinal data on alcohol consumption patterns among indigenous Sami and non-Sami adolescents in northern Norway.
Abstract
As hypothesized, indigenous Sami adolescents drank less than their non-Sami peers. Young Sami perceived more frequent worries about their drinking among family and friends. This may be due to higher parental abstinence rates and/or stricter drinking norms, possibly stemming from "the Sami Christianity." Neither drinking Sami youth nor their drinking parents were more likely to be binge or heavier drinkers than their nonindigenous peers; this contrasts with findings among some other indigenous peoples. Longitudinal data were collected in 1994/95 among 2,950 high school students and in 1997/98 among 1,510 followup students. In both the baseline and follow-up assessments, indigenous Sami composed 23 percent of the sample. The Sami (formerly called Lapps) are the indigenous people of northern Scandinavia and the Russian Kola Peninsula. The majority of Sami live in northern Norway. Data on ethnicity and drinking variables were obtained through self-reports. 2 tables and 34 references