Understanding the gendered patterns of substance use initiation among adolescents living in rural, central Mexico

Abstract

Background Little is known about the age of initiation and gender differences in substance use among adolescents in rural, central Mexico. Methods The cross-sectional data were collected from students enrolled in the Videobachillerato (VIBA) (video high school) program in Guanajuato, Mexico. Questionnaires asked students about the age at which they had used alcohol, cigarettes, or marijuana for the first time. Kaplan-Meier Survival Functions were used to estimate if males and females were significantly different in their cumulative probabilities of initiating substances over time. Results On average, alcohol is initiated at 14.7 years of age, cigarettes at 15.1 years of age, and marijuana at 16.5 years of age. Over time, males had a significantly higher probability of initiating alcohol (Kaplan-Meier Failure Curve: Χ2=26.35, p<0.001), cigarettes (Kaplan-Meier Failure Curve: Χ2=41.90, p<0.001), and marijuana (Kaplan-Meier Failure Curve: Χ2=38.01, p<0.001) compared to females. Conclusions These results highlight the gendered patterns of substance use initiation among adolescents in rural, central Mexico and underscore the need for gendered substance use prevention interventions with these adolescents. By putting forth efforts to understand substance use initiation patterns of adolescents living in rural, central Mexico, culturally specific and efficacious prevention efforts can be tailor-made to create lasting differences.

Migration Intentions and Alcohol Use Among Adolescents in West-Central Mexico

“…Overall, youth with migration intentions had nearly a doubling of the odds of having a drinking experience when compared to youth who reported no interest in living abroad. This finding confirms previous research conducted in Mexico (Marsiglia et al, 2011 , 2012 ). These previous studies found that the association between intentions to migrate and alcohol use varied by gender.…”

“…Most adolescents, however, are not old enough to have had prior migration experiences, which limits the implications of the previous studies examining the association between migration and substance use. Previous research has identified an association between intentions to migrate and alcohol use among adolescents residing in central Mexico (Marsiglia et al, 2011 , 2012 ). Stronger intentions to migrate among youth ages 14 to 24 was associated with greater access to drugs, drug offers, and illicit drug use (including marijuana, cocaine, and inhalants).…”

“…A potential negative outcome of migration at the individual level, particularly among vulnerable youth, is substance use. A series of studies in Mexico and the U.S. examined the effects of exposure to U.S. norms related to alcohol and other drugs on Mexican migrants and returned migrants (Borges et al, 2007 , 2009 , 2012a , 2016 , 2018 ; Marsiglia et al, 2012 ). The results revealed that the migration experience to the U.S., particularly of returned migrants, was associated with higher likelihood of alcohol use (Borges et al, 2011 ).…”

Discutiendo la hipótesis de la “puerta de entrada” del inicio del uso de drogas ilegales

“…La disparidad observada en la prevalencia del uso de drogas entre hombres y mujeres mexicanos también es consistente con las tendencias mundiales; sin embargo, advierten cómo esta brecha se viene estrechando en las generaciones más jóvenes. Las disparidades de género se explican por el efecto que ejercen los roles tradicionales, de modo que los entornos y las dinámicas de socialización ofrecen mayores oportunidades de consumo a los varones, al tiempo que restringen y estigmatizan más severamente esta práctica social entre las mujeres (UNODC, 2016;Malinowska-Sempruch, 2015;Ayers, Marsiglia, Hoffman, & Urbaeva, 2012;Kulis, Marsiglia, & Hecht, 2002).…”