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.
Zapata
J T
JT
University of Texas at San Antonio, Hispanic Research Center 78249-0654.
Katims
D S
DS
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