The Influence of Generational Status and Psychosocial Variables on Marijuana Use among Black and Puerto Rican Adolescents

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Abstract
This study uses a longitudinal design to assess the relationship between Black and Puerto Rican adolescent generational status (first generation vs. second generation) and specific psychosocial factors predicting later marijuana use. In addition, the interactive effects of adolescent generational status and psychosocial risk and protective factors on later marijuana use were assessed. Structured interviews were conducted with 108 Black males and females and 392 Puerto Rican males and females whose mean age at Time 1 and Time 2 was 14 and 19, respectively. Correlation analyses showed that various psychosocial variables (i.e., personality, family, peer, and the ecological setting) were related to later marijuana use. Regression analysis showed that the personality and family domains had a direct relationship with young adult marijuana use. In contrast, the impact of the generational status of the adolescent on later marijuana use was mediated by the psychosocial variables. The findings also indicated that the risk for drug use among second generation American adolescents (American-born children of immigrant parents) was offset by a number of protective factors stemming from the domains of personality, family, and ecology.