Although general smoking prevalence has declined, similar declines have not been observed in some underserved populations. For example, groups such as ethnic minorities, individuals with psychiatric diagnoses, those with a history of substance use, and weight concerned smokers have not shown comparable reductions. The goal of this study is to create a profile of Hispanic smokers in the El Paso/Juárez area and identify predictors of smoking. In this cross-sectional study, these variables were assessed in 160 English-speaking Hispanic volunteers. Participants completed measures of tobacco use, nicotine dependence, weekly alcohol consumption, acculturation, depressive symptomatology, weight concern, and drug use. Expired carbon monoxide and body composition were also assessed. Participants were light smokers with low levels of nicotine dependence and expired carbon monoxide, a significant number of past quit attempts, and limited use of cessation aids. Significant characteristics associated with smoking included male gender, use of mental health services, increasing number of drinks per week, and lifetime use of illicit drugs. These findings suggest substance use and psychiatric comorbidity are associated with smoking in this population and may be barriers to quitting. These factors should be considered in developing culturally sensitive tobacco cessation interventions for Hispanic smokers, particularly those residing on the U.S./México border.

In this study, 99 Mexican American women colonia residents who are or had been of childbearing age were assessed for English language skills, alcohol use, beliefs about health risks related to drinking, and awareness of warning labels on alcohol beverage containers. English language skills significantly predicted participants' ability to remember health warnings on beverage containers whereas greater awareness of nutritional information on labels was associated with lesser amounts of alcohol consumed. Beliefs that drinking during pregnancy is helpful and not associated with liver and cognitive problems were significantly associated with higher alcohol consumption, and beliefs that drinking helps when pregnant along with a reported history of drinking during a previous pregnancy significantly predicted self-reported drinking during a most recent pregnancy. The study represents a first step toward understanding how beliefs about drinking risks may be associated with alcohol use among Hispanic women.

Little is known about the comorbidity of alcohol use, anxiety, hopelessness, and trauma among Mexican Americans, especially those living in impoverished and often isolated communities or neighborhoods (colonias in Spanish) along the U.S.-Mexico border that may be particularly vulnerable due to stressful living conditions. The current study utilized a community participatory model to investigate the relationships of alcohol use, acculturation, anxiety, hopelessness, and trauma in 100 Mexican origin colonia residents. Significant comorbidity was expected and that anxiety, hopelessness, and post-traumatic symptoms were hypothesized to be associated with the severity of the alcohol use disorders of participants. Participants who met DSM-IV criteria for alcohol dependence reported significantly more symptoms of anxiety and posttraumatic stress, and symptoms of anxiety were significantly associated with alcohol use disorders. This study provides evidence of the need for further investigation of stress, trauma, anxiety, hopelessness, and alcohol abuse in Mexican American residents and to inform future prevention and treatment efforts to improve both the physical and mental health of this population. KeywordsAlcohol abuse; anxiety; PTSD; hopelessness; Mexican Americans Alcohol Use and Comorbid Anxiety, Traumatic Stress, and Hopelessness Among HispanicsHispanics constitute the largest and fastest growing ethnic minority group in the United States (United States Census Bureau, 2006). Evidence suggests that Hispanic adults may be at greater risk than the general population for experiencing drinking problems. The National Epidemiological Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions (NESARC) found a 12-month prevalence rate of alcohol dependence in approximately 4% of Hispanics and Latinos for . The National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), conducted in 2002, projected slightly higher drinking rates but lower prevalence rates of alcohol use disorders for Hispanics and Latinos than the NESARC (Grucza, Abbacchi, Przybeck, & Gfroerer, 2007). Another study found that alcohol dependence prevalence rates may be as high as 19% for Hispanic men and 7% for Hispanic women (Vega et al., 1998). Acculturation into © 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved Address all correspondences and reprint requests to: Arthur W. Blume, Ph.D., Department of Psychology, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, 9201 University City Boulevard, Charlotte, NC 28223-0001; Email: awblume@uncc.edu.. Publisher's Disclaimer: This is a PDF file of an unedited manuscript that has been accepted for publication. As a service to our customers we are providing this early version of the manuscript. The manuscript will undergo copyediting, typesetting, and review of the resulting proof before it is published in its final citable form. Please note that during the production process errors may be discovered which could affect the content, and all legal disclaimers that apply to the journal pertain. (Caetano, 1987), and increased alcohol dependence rates (Veg...

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Club drug use and correlates were examined among 251 Hispanic college students on the TexasMéxico border. Participants completed questionnaires on substance use, club drug attitudes and beliefs, sexual risk-taking behaviors, depressive symptoms, and acculturation. One-quarter of participants reported club drug use. Regression analyses demonstrated that frequency and history of lifetime use were consistently associated with more permissive drug attitudes and other substance use but not sexual risk-taking, depression symptoms, or acculturation. Acculturation was negatively associated with frequency of club drug use, yet positively associated with use of other illicit substances. Avenues for future studies are suggested.