Alcohol and other drug use patterns among Mexican-American, Mexican, and Caucasian adolescents: New directions for assessment and research

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
Examined substance abuse rates among subgroups of Mexican-American students by comparing alcohol and drug use rates of Mexican-American adolescents born in the United States to those of Mexican-American students born in Mexico and to Caucasian students attending the same schools. A total of 3,404 ninth- and 11th-grade students were surveyed using the California Substance Use Sunrey (Skager, Austin, & Firth, 1991; Skager, Firth, & Maddahian, 1989). It was found that Mexican females abstain the most from drug and alcohol use. Mexican males also reported lower drug and alcohol use than their Mexican-American and Caucasian counterparts, who had similar rates of alcohol we. In terms of prevention and intervention, Caucasian ninth graders reported the highest percentages receiving a substance abuse prevention program for at least part of a semester. Mexican-American students, however, were more likely to report not having received any prevention programming in school. Implications for assessment and prevention are discussed.

This publication has 14 references indexed in Scilit: