title: Characteristics of Mexican and Mexican American adolescents in treatment for "cheese" heroin use.
abstract: Clinical and cultural characteristics of Hispanic adolescent heroin users are not well described. The current exploratory study was conducted to describe a sample of in-treatment Hispanic adolescents with opioid dependence, specifically, cheese heroin. Mexican and Mexican American adolescents with heroin dependence (N = 72) in three treatment programs were interviewed and completed self-report measures. Participants reported, on average, first using cheese heroin at age 13.5 years and daily use at age 14.2 years. The majority (74%) reported a previous overdose. Adolescents being raised by caregivers other than both biological parents, who used drugs with relatives, and whose immediate family members have documentation to be in the United States fared worse on several indicators of drug use severity and other risky behaviors. The self-reported brief time period from first use to daily use strongly suggests the need for early prevention efforts. Additional research is needed to add to these preliminary results and inform prevention efforts.
authors.affiliation: a University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center , Dallas , Texas.
authors.forename: Robrina
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Walker
authors.forename: Jane Carlisle
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Maxwell
authors.forename: Bryon
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Adinoff
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Carmody
authors.forename: Casey E
authors.initials: CE
authors.lastname: Coton
authors.forename: Carlos F
authors.initials: CF
authors.lastname: Tirado
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D062787:Drug Overdose / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000208:ethnology; D005190:Family; D005260:Female; D006556:Heroin Dependence / Q000208:ethnology / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D017058:Mexican Americans / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008800:Mexico / Q000208:ethnology; D016320:Substance Abuse Treatment Centers; D014481:United States
keywords: Hispanic; adolescents; family characteristics; heroin