Antecedents of substance use among Mexican American school-age children.
This article describes a study designed to examine the association of demographic, psychological, and environmental characteristics of a sample of low socioeconomic status, Mexican American students in elementary and middle school and their reported use of nine substances. Students in grades four, five, and six (N = 2295; males 52% and females 48%) located in a metropolitan school district in South Texas were surveyed in order to ascertain information pertaining to the initiation and/or ongoing use of substances. Regression analyses were employed to determine the relative contribution of variables measured to lifetime use of both minor and major substances. Results indicate that a specific combination of variables were predictive of both minor and major substance use for the subjects surveyed. Implications for future research and substance intervention are included.
University of Texas at San Antonio, Hispanic Research Center 78249-0654.
J T
JT
Zapata
D S
DS
Katims
D000293:Adolescent; D000367:Age Factors; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D017058:Mexican Americans; D011159:Population Surveillance; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D012044:Regression Analysis; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000208:ethnology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013781:Texas / Q000453:epidemiology