title: The influence of acculturation on drug and alcohol use in a sample of adolescents.
abstract: This article reports on the associations between acculturation and substance use among 198 ninth-grade Southern California adolescents (mean age=13.8 years). Substance use measures included 30-day (current) and lifetime use of alcohol and other drugs. Acculturation was measured using the Acculturation, Habits, and Interests Multicultural Scale for Adolescents (AHIMSA) acculturation scale, a multi-dimensional acculturation scale yielding four acculturation strategy scores. Linear regression analyses evaluated the association between acculturation on alcohol and drug use, adjusting for several covariates. Results revealed that the assimilation acculturation strategy was significantly, but negatively associated with current alcohol use, especially among males. The separation acculturation strategy was significantly and positively associated with current alcohol use, especially among females. Marginalization was associated with greater risk for lifetime alcohol and drug use, especially among males, and a greater risk of current drug use among females. The social influence covariates were predictive of both current and lifetime alcohol and drug use. Future studies should incorporate multidimensional acculturation scales in adolescent substance use to understand how different acculturation strategies impact different populations.
authors.affiliation: University of Southern California, Keck School of Medicine, Department of Preventive Medicine, Institute for Prevention Research, 1000 South Fremont Avenue, Unit 8, Alhambra, CA 91803, USA. fosados@usc.edu
authors.forename: Raquel
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Fosados
authors.forename: Arianna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: McClain
authors.forename: Anamara
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ritt-Olson
authors.forename: Steve
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sussman
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Soto
authors.forename: Lourdes
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Baezconde-Garbanati
authors.forename: Jennifer B
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Unger
mesh_terms: D000069:Acculturation; D000293:Adolescent; D000294:Adolescent Behavior / Q000208:ethnology / Q000523:psychology*; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010379:Peer Group; D010865:Pilot Projects; D012307:Risk Factors; D012309:Risk-Taking; D012923:Social Class; D013334:Students / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000523:psychology*