Correlates of Drug Use and Abuse Among Indochinese Refugees: Mental Health Implications

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Abstract
The results of this study suggest that problems with alcohol and other drugs, including tobacco, will become an increasingly important issue for the Indochinese refugee community. Although the problem is relatively small in comparison to the magnitude of the problem among other disadvantaged populations, the refugees still view this issue as troublesome for their community, especially for the younger generation. A significant number of refugees use alcohol and other drugs, including tobacco, as coping mechanisms to deal with their problems, and find their own behavior troublesome. This warrants further study in order to find the conditions under which substance abuse can be decreased and prevented. The present study suggests that adjustment and mental health problems, with the lack of social and institutional support, may be one of the major reasons refugees turn to psychoactive substances to alleviate their stresses and to forget their problems. Substance abuse among refugees creates enormous health risks for a population that is already at greater risk than the general American population. Preventive measures should be implemented at this critical moment in time so that this small problem will not grow into a larger one.

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