Effect of appreciation for Indigenous cultures and exposure to racial insults on alcohol and drug use initiation among multiethnic Argentinean youth

Abstract

This study evaluated the effect of factors reflecting appreciation of Indigenous culture and racial insults on alcohol and drug use initiation among multi-ethnic youth in Jujuy, Argentina. Students were surveyed from 27 secondary schools that were randomly selected to represent the province. A total of 3,040 eligible students in 10th grade, age 14 to 18 years were surveyed in 2006 and 2,660 of these same students completed surveys in 11th grade in 2007. Multivariate logistic regression models assessed the effect of appreciation for Indigenous cultures and reported exposure to racial insults in 10th grade on incident current alcohol drinking in previous 30 days, binge drinking (≥5 drinks at one sitting), and lifetime drug use (marijuana, inhalants or cocaine) in 11th grade among students not reporting these behaviors in 2006. In 2006, 63% of respondents reported high appreciation for Indigenous cultures and 39% had ever experienced racial insults. In 2007, incident current drinking was 24.4%, binge drinking 14.8%, and any drug use initiation was 4.1%. Exposure to racial insults increased the likelihood of binge drinking (OR=1.6; 95% CI 1.2–2.1) but was not significant for any drug use. Appreciation for Indigenous cultures reduced the risk of any drug use initiation (OR=0.5, 95% CI 0.3–0.7) but had no effect for alcohol drinking outcomes. These effects were independent of Indigenous ethnicity. Enhancing appreciation for Indigenous cultures and decreasing racial insults are achievable goals that can be incorporated into programs to prevent youth substance use.

Ethnic-racial discrimination experiences and ethnic-racial identity predict adolescents’ psychosocial adjustment: Evidence for a compensatory risk-resilience model

“…Almost 40% of Colombian adolescents in the current study experienced ethnic-racial-based discrimination at least once in the last year. This prevalence estimate is similar to another study in Latin America that surveyed adolescents about ethnic-racial discrimination (i.e., Argentina; Alderete et al, 2016). Further, consistent with our hypothesis and studies of youth in other countries (Marks et al, 2015), the frequency with which youth experienced ethnic-racial discrimination corresponded with concurrently lower self-esteem and elevated depressive symptoms.…”

“…The negative developmental implications of ethnic-racial-based discrimination have been well-documented in studies of adolescents in the U.S. (Benner et al, 2018; Yip et al, 2019). Research has also identified ethnic-racial discrimination as a risk factor related to poorer psychosocial adjustment and health among adolescents in other countries (e.g., Alderete et al, 2016; Schachner et al, 2018; also see Marks et al, 2015, for review). For example, experiencing racial insults was associated with increased risk for binge drinking in a multiethnic-racial sample of adolescents in Argentina (Alderete et al, 2016).…”

“…Research has also identified ethnic-racial discrimination as a risk factor related to poorer psychosocial adjustment and health among adolescents in other countries (e.g., Alderete et al, 2016; Schachner et al, 2018; also see Marks et al, 2015, for review). For example, experiencing racial insults was associated with increased risk for binge drinking in a multiethnic-racial sample of adolescents in Argentina (Alderete et al, 2016). To our knowledge, studies have yet to examine the salience of ethnic-racial discrimination for Colombian youth or test ethnic-racial discrimination as a developmental risk factor in Colombia.…”

Processos de alcoolização entre povos indígenas da América Latina

“…Já os altos níveis de apreciação de culturas indígenas reduziram pela metade ou menos as chances de uso de outras drogas como maconha, cocaína ou inalantes, mas a exposição a insultos raciais aumentou a probabilidade de consumo excessivo de álcool. Desse modo, promover a valorização de culturas e reduzir os insultos raciais são objetivos a serem incorporados em programas de prevenção ao uso de substâncias psicoativas entre jovens indígenas 21 .…”

Las aportaciones de 40 años de investigación epidemiológica en México sobre consumo de solventes inhalables

“…3 En Argentina, la prevalencia de consumo de inhalables creció de 0.9% en 2001 al 4.5% en 2011. 4 Por otro lado, una revisión de la literatura internacional sobre la epidemiología del consumo de solventes inhalables indica que ésta es una práctica frecuente entre los jóvenes de países como Brasil, México, Paraguay, Chile, Colombia, Nicaragua, España, Canadá, Nueva Zelanda y Australia. 5 En México, las investigaciones realizadas han permitido identificar variaciones en el comportamiento de este fenómeno a través de los años; por ejemplo, en la década de 1970 y 1980 los inhalables y la mariguana eran las principales drogas consumidas en nuestro país, posteriormente, hacia el año de 1997 fueron sustituidas por la cocaína que ocupó el primer lugar de preferencia en ambos casos, sin incluir alcohol y tabaco.…”