Inhalant abuse among American Indian, Mexican American, and non-Latino white adolescents.
The abuse of volatile solvents, or inhalants, is an enduring problem among adolescents although a number of factors obscure the nature and extent of this drug using behavior. The data presented here indicate that a number of social and perceptual correlates of inhalant use operate similarly across Mexican American, American Indian and non-Latino white adolescents. Peer factors appear to dominate, although they are somewhat less important for Mexican American and Indian youth. Increased perception of harm reduces inhalant use for all groups. Of particular significance in the findings here are the continued increase of inhalant use among females compared to males and the strong pattern of decreases in inhalant use among American Indian adolescents over the last decade. A number of implications for increased effectiveness of prevention are discussed.
Beauvais
Fred
F
Tri-Ethnic Center for Prevention Research, Department of Psychology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins 80523, USA.
Wayman
Jeffrey C
JC
Jumper-Thurman
Pamela
P
Plested
Barbara
B
Helm
Heather
H
D000280:Administration, Inhalation; D000293:Adolescent; D000294:Adolescent Behavior / Q000523:psychology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006630:Hispanic or Latino / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D007198:Indians, North American / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008297:Male; D004364:Pharmaceutical Preparations / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D015995:Prevalence; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology*; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D044465:White People / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*
D004364:Pharmaceutical Preparations