Original ArticlesStructural equation socialization model of substance use among Mexican-American and white non-Hispanic school dropouts
Section snippets
Participants
School dropouts were from three school districts from three communities in the southwestern United States, including an urban community (population 350,000), a midsized community (population 90,000), and a small community (population 30,000). Mexican-American and white non-Hispanic dropouts were recruited from each of these communities. These school dropouts are therefore reasonably representative of Mexican-American and white non-Hispanic dropouts who reside in communities across a broad range
Results
The mean age of participants at the time of school dropout across the four subgroups was mean (M) = 16.54, standard deviation (SD) = 1.37 for Mexican-American females; M = 16.68, SD = 1.22 for Mexican American males; M = 16.66, SD = 1.14 for white non-Hispanic females; and M = 16.90, SD = 1.19 for white non-Hispanic males. A 2 × 2 analysis of variance (ANOVA) (Ethnicity × Gender) was conducted to determine differences in mean age across groups. There were significant main effects for gender,
Discussion
The primary purposes of this study were to further evaluate a socialization model of adolescent substance use among high school dropouts and to identify similarities and differences in socialization risk factors among Mexican-American and white non-Hispanic dropouts. Consistent with previous research on this model 11, 12, 14, association with drug-using peers accounted for the largest proportion of variance (34–55%) directly related to adolescent substance use. This echoes findings reported in
Conclusions
Adolescent school dropouts are at substantially higher risk for substance use compared to youth who remain in school (16). However, with some limited exceptions, the results of this study indicate that socialization influences associated with drug use do not differ to any great extent between students (based on previous tests of this model) and school dropouts. Even through school dropouts use drugs at much higher levels than students, this does not appear to substantially change the
Acknowledgements
This study was supported in part by Grants R01 DA 04777 and P50 DA 07074 from the National Institute on Drug Abuse.
References (31)
- Oetting ER, Donnermeyer JF. Primary socialization theory: The etiology of drug use and deviance. Sub Use Mis (in...
- et al.
Religion and drug use among adolescentsA social support conceptualization and interpretation
Dev Behav
(1991) - et al.
Reviewing theories of adolescent substance useOrganizing pieces in the puzzle
Psychol Bull
(1995) - et al.
Multiple Problem YouthDelinquency, Substance Use, and Mental Health Problems
(1989) Causes of Delinquency
(1969)- et al.
Structure of problem behavior in adolescence and young adulthood
J Consult Clin Psychol
(1985) - et al.
Criminology
(1974) - et al.
Social learning and deviant behaviorA specific test of a general theory
Am Soc Rev
(1979) Social Foundations of Thought and ActionA Social Cognitive Theory
(1986)- et al.
Peer cluster theoryDrugs and the adolescent
J Counsult Dev
(1986)
Peer cluster theory, socialization characteristics and adolescent drug useA path analysis
J Couns Psychol
American Indian adolescent drug use and socialization characteristicsA cross-cultural comparison
J Cross Cult Psychol
Alcohol use and socialization characteristics among Hungarian adolescentsPath models
Drugs Soc
A socialization latent variable model of cigarette involvement among high school migrant and non-migrant Mexican American youth
Health Psychol
Contributions of delinquency and substance use to school dropout among inner-city youths
Youth Soc
Cited by (42)
Addiction as a systems failure: Focus on adolescence and smoking
2011, Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent PsychiatryCitation Excerpt :Peers provide a crucial developmental context in the pathways to substance use and, ultimately, dependence. In general, the importance of the peer group in shaping adolescent substance use is consistent across a variety of studies and cultures.83-85 One mechanism responsible for the link between peer and self substance use may be assortative peer selection, which refers to the process of selecting friends who are similar to oneself.86
What Accounts for Differences in Substance Use Among U.S.-Born and Immigrant Hispanic Adolescents?: Results from a Longitudinal Prospective Cohort Study
2009, Journal of Adolescent HealthCitation Excerpt :The finding that perceived peer substance use was directly related to substance use is consistent with much of the existing literature on non-Hispanic white [27] and Hispanic [17,28] samples, which suggests that the peer context is most proximally related to substance use, whereas other contexts such as the family and peer are less proximal at this time of development. At least two other studies have reported similar findings [29,30]. However, these two other studies have been limited by sampling a nonrepresentative sample of Hispanics in the United States.
Family context of mental health risk in Tsunami affected mothers: Findings from a pilot study in Sri Lanka
2008, Social Science and MedicineCitation Excerpt :Familism refers to a collectivist orientation rather than an orientation toward personal success (Cauce & Domenech-Rodriguez, 2002). A strong sense of familism or maintaining high levels of support among family members can significantly reduce the risk for psychiatric problems (Swaim, Bates, & Chavez, 1998). High levels of familism that are characteristic of families in traditional societies like Sri Lanka should protect mothers from the detrimental influence of Tsunami-related losses through direct compensatory mechanisms.
Childhood and adolescent antecedents of drug and alcohol problems: A longitudinal study
2006, Drug and Alcohol DependenceThe Relationship Between Acculturation, Ecodevelopment, and Substance Use Among Hispanic Adolescents
2017, Journal of Early AdolescenceCumulative effects of multiple traumas in women widowed by war and disaster in the developing world: The case of Sri Lanka
2016, International Perspectives on Traumatic Stress: Theory, Access, and Mental Health Services