Adolescent Substance Use in Latinos

1
Adolescent Substance Use in Latinos

• Developmental Pathways

2
Are Latinos especially at risk for substance
abuse?

• Substance use has reached epidemic rates among
  youth, especially Hispanic and Native American
  youth
• one might expect that rates of substance use
  would be higher in (Latino)..than White youth
  this is not the case.

3
8th and 12th Graders Substance Usein Past Month
Monitoring the Future (1999, 2000)
4
Most likely more problematic for Latinos

• Latinos reported less alcohol use (40) than
  Whites (55) NHSDA
• Latinos reported more heavy alcohol use (6.3)
  than Whites (3.8) NHSDA
• Latinos more likely to report drinking before age
  13 (39) than Whites (30) CDC
• gt35,Latinos reported higher rates of heavy use
  than Whites NHDSA

5
Varies by Subroup and Substance

• Latinos 12-17 have higher rates of cocaine use
  than Whites NHDSA
• Puerto Rican and Cuban rates of cocaine use
  highest among Latinos CDC
• Latinos 12-17 have higher rates of marijuana use
  than Whites CDC
• Mexican American youth have highest rates of
  marijuana use among Latinos CDC

6
When does use become abuse

• Nonuse
• Experimental use
• Moderate nonproblematic use
• Heavy nonproblematic use
• Heavy use, moderate problems
• Heavy use, serious problems
• Dependence, life and death problems

7
What we do know

• 49-63 of those who use drugs as H.S. seniors
  desist use (do not repeat use within the year)
• Those mostly likely to have other problems least
  likely to desist
• Less likely to desist if part of problem
  behavior syndrome

8
Risk and Protective Factors for Substance Use

• Biogenetics
• inherited susceptibility/vulnerability
• Psychobehavioral
• early problem behavior, academic
• failure
• Interpersonal
• family management problems, parent drug
• use, deviant peers
• Culture and Society
• social norms, availability of drugs, SES