title: Acculturation and drug use disorders among Hispanics in the U.S.
abstract: The authors' objective was to examine the relationship between degree of acculturation across five different dimensions of acculturation and risk of drug use disorders (DUD) among US Hispanics. Data were derived from a large national sample of the US adult population, the National Epidemiological Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions, collected using face-to-face interviews. The sample included civilian non-institutionalized U.S. population aged 18 years and older, with oversampling of Hispanics, Blacks and those aged 18-24 years. Interviews of more than 34,000 adults were conducted during 2004-2005 using the Alcohol Use Disorder and Associated Disabilities Interview Schedule - DSM-IV Version. A total of 6359 subjects who identified themselves as Hispanics were included in this study. Acculturation measures used in this study assessed:, time spent in the U.S., age at immigration, language preference, social network composition, and ethnic identification. Among Hispanics, there was an inverse relationship between five complementary dimensions of acculturation and DUD. Moreover, this relationship showed a significant gradient across all acculturation dimensions and DUD. The prevalence of DUD increases with acculturation in Hispanics, across several measures of acculturation in a dose-response relationship. Hispanic cultural features and values exert a protective effect on risk of DUD. Preservation and promotion of Hispanic values may be an important component of preventive interventions for Hispanics.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University/New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, NY 10032, USA. cblanco@nyspi.cpmc.columbia.edu
authors.forename: Carlos
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Blanco
authors.forename: Carmen
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Morcillo
authors.forename: Margarita
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Alegría
authors.forename: María Cecilia
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Dedios
authors.forename: Pablo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Fernández-Navarro
authors.forename: Rosa
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Regincos
authors.forename: Shuai
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Wang
mesh_terms: D000069:Acculturation; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D004185:Disability Evaluation; D005260:Female; D006630:Hispanic or Latino / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000208:ethnology / Q000523:psychology; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000208:ethnology; D055815:Young Adult