Drug Use Among Immigrant and Non‐immigrant Adolescents: Immigrant Paradox, Family and Peer Influences

Abstract

The present study compared immigrant and Italian native adolescents with regard to drug use. Additionally, we analysed the role of family and peer risk and protective factors for drug use. Participants included 2533 Italian native and immigrant adolescents (mean age = 17.19, SD = 1.6; 66.7% male). Results showed that immigrant adolescents reported lower levels of marijuana and pharmaceutical drug abuse than non-immigrant adolescents. These results confirm the so-called immigrant paradox phenomenon: the counterintuitive finding that although immigrants often live under challenging conditions and reported lower economic affluence compared with nationals, some health outcomes have not always corresponded to their relative disadvantage. Immigrant adolescents also reported higher level of parental control and lower levels of affiliation with deviant peers, but lower levels of child disclosure, parental solicitation and parental knowledge. Socio-economic status and parental monitoring showed equivalent effects on drug use for immigrant and non-immigrant adolescents. Results have implications for preventive interventions for immigrant adolescents and families, including the need to develop programmes that leverage the benefits of the immigrant paradox for immigrant communities. Future research should analyse the processes that lead to lower levels of drug use in immigrant adolescents and investigate the influence of friendship networks on immigrant adolescent drug use behaviour.

Cannabis use among middle and high school students in Ontario: a school-based cross-sectional study

“…The finding that being an immigrant was associated with lower odds of cannabis use also corroborates previous findings and provides further support for the immigrant paradox phenomenon. 31,32 These results support previous evidence suggesting that ethnoracial background should be an important consideration in investigations of cannabis use among foreign-born compared with nativeborn adolescents. 30 …”

The Role of Psychosocial Resources in the Adjustment of Migrant Adolescents

“…While these factors suggest that migrant youths should display relatively low levels of wellbeing, several studies have found the opposite (Cristini et al, 2015;Harker, 2001;Harris, 1999;Vaage et al, 2009). Terms such as the healthy migrant effect, and the immigrant paradox phenomenon (e.g., Bowe, 2017;Fuligni, 1998;Marks, Ejesi, & Garcia Coll, 2014), have been coined to capture this effect.…”

“…Although limited research has investigated the role of country of birth in moderating these effects, a case can be made for expecting migrant status to accentuate the positive effects of each of these psychosocial resources (c.f. Cristini et al, 2015) This case rests upon the likelihood that, relative to their native-born peers, migrant adolescents (a) face greater challenges and threats to their wellbeing, and (b) may have less social and economic capital with which to manage these challenges and threats. In such circumstances, migrant adolescents are likely to rely more heavily upon the resources they do possess, and hence such resources will be disproportionately impactful on their psychological adjustment (Gagne et al, 2014).…”

Substance use prevalence rates among migrant and native adolescents in Europe: A systematic review

“…Seven studies compared prevalence rates in migrant adolescents as one category and showed contrasting findings. Four studies reported lower prevalence rates of illicit drug use in migrants compared to natives [23,37,39,40], two reported higher prevalence rates in migrants compared to natives [23,42], and one reported similar prevalence rates for both migrants and natives [34].…”