Gender identity and substance use among students in two high schools in Monterrey, Mexico

Abstract

This study explored relationships between several hypothesized dimensions of gender identity and substance use outcomes within a non-probability sample of adolescents in Monterrey, Mexico. Based on Mexican concepts of machismo and marianismo, four gender identity constructs were measured: aggressive masculinity, assertive masculinity, affective femininity and submissive femininity. The study assessed how well these gender identity measures predicted substance use behaviors, substance use intentions, expectancies, and normative approval, and exposure and vulnerability to substance offers. Data were drawn from questionnaires completed by 327 students from 2 Monterrey secondary schools. Multivariate ordered logistic and linear regression analyses, adjusted for school level effects, indicated that aggressive masculinity was associated with higher risk of drug use on most outcomes, while affective femininity was associated with lower risk on selected outcomes. Assertive masculinity was associated with only one of the outcomes examined and submissive femininity with none of them. Most gender identity effects persisted after controlling for biological sex, academic performance, age, and other gender identity measures. For two of the outcomes, the gender identity measures had significantly stronger effects for males than for females. The findings are interpreted in light of males' higher risk for drug use and changes in gender roles and gendered behavior that are now occurring in Mexico as in the U.S.

Alcohol Use Among Young Adolescents in Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany and Austria: The Effects of Type of Education

“…We stressed that the cultures that emerge on lower educational tracks put emphasis on masculinity and social status as core elements of pupils' identity (Askew & Ross, 1990;Epstein, 2009;Mac an Ghaill, 1994;Willis, 1977). Masculinity in this regard may be demonstrated through risk-taking behaviour such as alcohol and drug use (Kulis, Marsiglia, Chase Lingard, Nieri, & Villar, 2008;Liu & Iwanoto, 2007). Challenging conformist values by, for instance, using drugs or alcohol in a risky manner may also provide an alternative source of status in the peer group (Vettenburg, 1988(Vettenburg, , 1998.…”

Marianismo and Machismo: The Portrayal of Females in Mexican TV Commercials

“…This identity trait prescribes manhood negatively as hypermasculinity that leads men to risk taking, aggressiveness toward females, sensitivity to insult, and a desire to demonstrate self-worth through sexual conquests. Besides these negative traits, machismo can be used also to explain more positive traits such as the dedication of fathers, and their sense of honor toward the well-being of their families (Frevert and Miranda 1998;Kulis et al 2003Kulis et al , 2008. In other words, men are expected to be authoritative, aggressive, and dominant (Durik et al 2006).…”

“…Lafky and colleagues (1996) these subjects to sets of advertisements that portrayed females in stereotypical or nonstereotypical roles. Another possibility is to expose subjects to these type of experimental designs to measure pre-and postexposure levels of personal traits such as the positive and negative traits of machismo (Arciniega et al 2008) or dimensions of gender identity such as assertive masculinity (defined in terms of self-confidence and assertiveness), aggressive masculinity (dominance and control), affective femininity (nurturing and emphatic responses), and submissive femininity (dependence and inadequacy) (Kulis et al 2008).…”

Drug Resistance and Substance Use Among Male and Female Adolescents in Alternative Secondary Schools in Guanajuato, Mexico

“…For women, a sense of responsibility acts as a protective factor against substance use and is related to substance refusals (Kulis et al, , 2008b. Females are much less likely to be to be offered such substances as marijuana (Caris et al, 2009); other substances, specifi cally tobacco, are less available to them, leading to lower substance use rates (Félix-Ortiz et al, 2001).…”