Antecedents of Substance Use among Mexican American School-Age Children

Abstract

This article describes a study designed to examine the association of demographic, psychological, and environmental characteristics of a sample of low socioeconomic status, Mexican American students in elementary and middle school and their reported use of nine substances. Students in grades four, five, and six (N = 2295; males 52% and females 48%) located in a metropolitan school district in South Texas were surveyed in order to ascertain information pertaining to the initiation and/or ongoing use of substances. Regression analyses were employed to determine the relative contribution of variables measured to lifetime use of both minor and major substances. Results indicate that a specific combination of variables were predictive of both minor and major substance use for the subjects surveyed. Implications for future research and substance intervention are included.

Male-Female Differences in Transitions from First Drug Opportunity to First Use: Searching for Subgroup Variation by Age, Race, Region, and Urban Status

“…Anglin et al 11,112 have described sex differences in initiation of heroin use and transition to dependence, yet this type of knowledge on sex differences in drug initiation is relatively sparse in comparison to our understanding of sex differences in later stages of drug involvement. The literature that has examined early opportunitites to try illicit drugs is sparse in itself [13][14][15][16] and has not attended to sex differences in early drug opportunities. By focusing on sex differences at the level of early opportunities to try illicit drugs, this study adds new evidence on sex differences in drug involvement.…”

Vulnerability for drug use among Latino adolescents

“…Sensation seeking (Simon, Stacy, Sussman, & Dent, 1994), deviant behavior (Zapata & Katims, 1994), and increased unconventionality (Velez & Ungemack, 1995) were also associated with drug use among Latinos. Simon et al (1994) found that, among Latinos, high sensation seeking levels were significantly related to most substance use as well as the number of drugs used, but no such association was found for the non-Latino White students.…”

“…For example, Amaro, Whitaker, Coffman, and Heeren (1990) found that marijuana and cocaine use was reported more often by U.S.-born Hispanics than by those who were born outside the continental US. However, others have found it to be associated with less drug use (Zapata & Katims, 1994). Confusion about the relationship between drug use and acculturation among Latinos may exist for several reasons, many of which have been discussed vis-à-vis their relationship to mental health (e.g., Rogler, Cortes, & Malgady, 1991).…”

“…On the other hand, frequent church attendance, religious affiliation, educational achievement and aspirations are correlated with low drug use among Latinos (Chavez, Oetting, & Swaim, 1994;Menon, Barrett, & Simpson, 1990;Paulson, Coombs, & Richardson, 1990;Schinke et al, 1992;Zapata & Katims, 1994). Church attendance and religious affiliation may be forms of social support that provide a basis for meaning, identity development, and belonging which, when weak or absent, may be replaced by the intimate social relationships that are involved in drug use (e.g., sharing joints, the close and confidential relationship with the dealer; Brownfield & Sorenson, 1991).…”

“…Substance use by parents or older siblings (Barrera, Li, & Chassin, 1993;Gfroerer & De La Rosa, 1993) and family dysfunction or stress (Rodriguez, 1995;Velez & Ungemack, 1995;Zapata & Katims, 1994) are often cited as risk-inducing among Latinos. Some have hypothesized that, among Latino immigrant families, the deterioration of parental authority that can occur with the rapid acculturation of the child to the more egalitarian role of parents and offspring in the US society or when the child is the interpreter for the parents is what weakens family control and sets the stage for drug use (Velez & Ungemack, 1995).…”