NCJ Number
162454
Journal
American Journal on Addictions Volume: 5 Issue: 2 Dated: (Spring 1996) Pages: 156-166
Date Published
1996
Length
11 pages
Annotation
This article reports on the methodology and findings of a study that examined the environmental, social, family, health, and psychological factors related to African-American women's initiation to and maintenance of crack cocaine use.
Abstract
A total of 161 African-American women who reported smoking at least $100/week of crack cocaine were recruited into this study. At the time of data collection, 110 women were in treatment, and 48 were still using cocaine. The instrument used in the study was the Boyd Substance Abuse Survey for Women, which was developed for this project; it provides data on environmental, social, family, health, and psychological factors related to women's initiation to and maintenance of drug use. For the purposes of this study, several items were used to examine the variables of parental, sibling, and spouse/partner drug or alcohol abuse. The data show that for African-American women who use crack, family drug and/or alcohol abuse are notably high. Approximately two out of three women had at least one parent with a drug or alcohol problem, although only 23 women were initiated to crack by a primary family member. Also, 60 percent of the women reported a sibling with a drug or alcohol problem. Participants were most often initiated to crack by men (uncle, father, and brothers), and many lived with partners who abused substances. Study limitations are discussed. 6 figures and 34 references