Stress and Alcohol, Cigarette, and Marijuana Use Among Latino Adolescents in Families with Undocumented Immigrants

Abstract

Families in which one or more members are undocumented immigrants experience unique hardships. Yet, little is known about stress and substance use among adolescents growing up in these families. The present study examined associations between two sources of adolescent stress (i.e., low parental involvement due to contextual constraints and family economic insecurity) and lifetime alcohol, cigarette, and marijuana use among adolescents in families with undocumented members. The sample was comprised of 102 adolescents (10–18 years old) and one of his or her parents. Participants responded a survey in English or Spanish. Adolescent lifetime use of alcohol, cigarette, and marijuana was 51%, 32.4%, and 37.3%, respectively. Chi–Square analyses found no significant gender differences in lifetime substance use. Logistic regression models showed that adolescent stress due to hindered parental involvement increased the odds of both lifetime cigarette and marijuana use after controlling for gender, age, linguistic acculturation, familism, parental control, and negative peer affiliation. Being a girl increased the odds of lifetime alcohol use. Family economic stress was not associated with lifetime substance use. Results suggest that hindered parental involvement might be a stressor and a risk factor for cigarette and marijuana use among adolescents growing up in families with undocumented members. Because parents in these families are likely to be undocumented, policies that allow immigrants to apply for legal status could improve parents' working conditions and facilitate parental involvement; in turn, such policies could decrease the risk for adolescent substance use among children of Latino immigrants.

Drug abuse risk and protective factors among Hispanic adolescents

“…Study data mirror other findings that less drug use among Hispanic youth is associated with a positive self-image, lower levels of perceived stress, higher levels of skills related to coping with stress, self-control abilities, self-efficacy, goal setting, and problem solving ( Gil et al, 2004 , Zapata Roblyer et al, 2015 ). Also in line with other data are results on the degree to which peer influence is associated with Hispanic youths' alcohol, marijuana, tobacco, and other drug use ( Bacio et al, 2013 , Szapocznik and Williams, 2000 ).…”

“…Explanations for high rates of drug use among Hispanic adolescents include peer pressure, stress, developmental influences, and negative role models ( Goldberg, 2013 ; Pokhrel, Herzog, Sun, Rohrbeck, & Sussman, 2013; Kopak, 2014 , Zapata Roblyer et al, 2015 ). Also implicated are discrimination, acculturation, family influences, access to illicit substances, misperceptions about risks of drug use, and reduced social disapproval of drug use ( De La Rosa et al, 2015 , Kulis et al, 2009 , Prado et al, 2008 , Otiniano Verissimo et al, 2014 ).…”

A mixed-methods approach to understanding complex risk among newcomer Latina immigrant adolescents.

“…These numerous stressors pose formidable risks to the cognitive, physical, and psychosocial health of youth during critical phases in their development. As a result, newcomers may encounter problems with externalizing and internalizing disorders uniquely linked to their migration experiences (Lee & Liechty, 2015; Ramos, Green, Booker, & Nelson, 2011; Zapata Roblyer et al, 2016). Externalizing disorders are often demonstrated by behaviors directed toward an individual’s environment such as aggression and rule-breaking.…”

Addressing Alcohol and Marijuana use Disparities among Latino Adolescents

“…The dissertation relied on selfreported measures of sensitive information, which increased the potential for social desirability bias and recall bias. However, the measures used are standardized and have been tested for validity and reliability in previous studies (Schofield, Conger, & Robins, 2015;Zapata Roblyer, Grzywacz, Cervantes, & Merten, 2016;Knight et al, 2010;Morgan Consoli & Llamas, 2013;CDC, 2016c;Brener et al, 2002). Moreover, most of the scales used in the present study have been previously used with Latino adolescent populations.…”

“…Response options range from "none" to "more than 6." This measure has been used in other studies with Latino adolescent samples (Schofield et al, 2015;Zapata Roblyer et al, 2016). This measure has high reliability (5 th grade: α = .82; 7th grade: α = .83; Schofield et al, 2015).…”