Fred Beauvais

Orthogonal Cultural Identification Theory: The Cultural Identification of Minority Adolescents

A theory of cultural identification is presented indicating that identification with different cultures is orthogonal. Instead of cultures being placed at opposite ends of a continuum, cultural identification dimensions are independent of each other, and increasing identification with one culture does not require decreasing identification with another. Studies of Native-American and Mexican-American youth show that: (1) identification with Anglo (White American) culture is related to having Anglo friends and to family acceptance of an Anglo marriage, (2) identification with either the minority or the majority culture is a source of personal and social strength, and (3) this greater strength, however, does not translate automatically into less drug use, because drug use is related to how much the culture that the person identifies with approves or disapproves of drugs.

Links from emotional distress to adolescent drug use: a path model.

Administered anonymous surveys asking about drug use, emotional distress, and peer drug associations to 11th and 12th grade high school students (N = 563). Emotional distress variables accounted for only 4.8% of the variance in drug use. The addition of peer drug associations as a predictor variable increased the variance accounted for to 43.4%. A path model of adolescent drug use based on peer cluster theory was tested using LISREL, and this provided a good fit with the data. As predicted, peer drug associations dominated the prediction of drug use and mediated the effect of emotional distress on drug use, with the exception of a small residual path directly from anger to drug use. The hypothesis that young people take drugs to alleviate emotional distress does not hold up well; emotional distress variables, with the exception of anger, produced only very small and indirect links to drug use.

The effect of school dropout rates on estimates of adolescent substance use among three racial/ethnic groups.

OBJECTIVES This study examined, across three racial/ethnic groups, how the inclusion of data on drug use of dropouts can alter estimates of adolescent drug use rates. METHODS Self-report rates of lifetime prevalence and use in the previous 30 days were obtained from Mexican American, White non-Hispanic, and Native American student (n = 738) and dropouts (n = 774). Rates for the age cohort (students and dropouts) were estimated with a weighted correction formula. RESULTS Rates of use reported by dropouts were 1.2 to 6.4 times higher than those reported by students. Corrected rates resulted in changes in relative rates of use by different ethnic groups. CONCLUSIONS When only in-school data are available, errors in estimating drug use among groups with high rates of school dropout can be substantial. Correction of student-based data to include drug use of dropouts leads to important changes in estimated levels of drug use and alters estimates of the relative rates of use for racial/ethnic minority groups with high dropout rates.

Primary Socialization Theory: Culture, Ethnicity, and Cultural Identification. The Links between Culture and Substance Use. IV

Ethnicity, perceived membership in a cultural group, and cultural identification, the strength of ones affiliation with a group, develop primarily through interactions with the primary socialization sources, the family, the school, and peer clusters. Cultural norms for substance use are also transmitted as part of these interactions. Substance use differs across cultures; in different cultures some forms of substance use are culturally required, others are tolerated, and others are sanctioned. Ethnicity and cultural identification, therefore, should relate to substance use. However, primary socialization theory indicates that simple relationships are not likely to be found for a number of reasons: 1) All members of an ethnic group do not have the same level of cultural identification and may not, therefore, have the same conformance to substance use norms. 2) Primary socialization,sources are embedded in subcultures, and subcultures have norms that may differ from those of the larger ethnic group. 3) The individual may experience and report differing levels of cultural identification and different substance use norms in different social contexts. 4) For an individual, ethnicity and cultural identification may derive from different primary socialization sources than drug use norms.

Drug use, violence, and victimization among White American, Mexican American, and American Indian dropouts, students with academic problems, and students in good academic standing.

Problem-prone behaviors of White American, Mexican American, and American Indian high school dropouts, students in good academic standing, and students in poor academic standing were surveyed. Generally, dropouts were most involved with drugs, perpetration of violence, and victimization by violence, students in poor standing were the next most involved, and students in good standing were least involved. Ethnicity did not interact with academic status, suggesting that differences between dropouts and students were similar across ethnic groups. Some ethnicity and gender main effects were found. Findings were related to R. Jessors (1991) theory of problem-prone behaviors, to peer cluster theory, and to intervention design.

Drug and Alcohol Abuse Intervention in American Indian Communities

American Indian tribes are seen as an anachronism by many non-Indian people. Most would acknowledge that Indians provided a colorful chapter in American history, but apart from contemporary Indian arts and crafts little serious thought is given to their way of life. In fact, however, Indian culture has survived a period of strong attack and today it is vital and growing. The historical conflicts between Indian and White ways of life are still not totally resolved, and there are major differences in thinking as to whether tribes should be assimilated into the larger culture or allowed to pursue an alternate cultural path. In its ambivalence toward Indian people the federal government has fostered a state of dependency which has made problem resolution extremely difficult. Federal policy has vacillated between paternalistic and repressive, which has led to much inertia within both Indian communities and those groups intended to help them. Currently there is a strong activist climate on Indian reservations and the result is a vigorous move toward self-determination. Not only are Indian people asking for self-government, but they are attempting to revitalize their traditional culture and maintain a unique alternative to the beliefs, values, and customs of the larger society. Within this historical/cultural context, drug and alcohol abuse exist as major problems for Indian people. Extant data point to alcoholism as perhaps the number one health problem for many tribes. The consequences of drug abuse are not as well documented, but recent survey data from Indian school students point to an extremely serious situation. Drug use rates are above national norms and appear to be rapidly increasing. Interventions in Indian communities must be congruent with the current movement toward self-determination. Externally imposed solutions, at a minimum, will not work and probably will only add to the sense of failure experienced by Indian people. The dynamics of drug and alcohol use are rooted in the health of the community. Where there is cynicism, despair, and a withering of the basic human spirit, substance abuse will prevail. Alternately, if the spirit of the community can be bolstered and hope developed through communal action and mutual support, solutions to abuse problems will be forthcoming. When the community has clearly decided its position on the use of chemicals it will be in a position to construct programs and request external assistance. Substance abuse intervention is a local problem and can be resolved best through local initiative.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Alcohol and Indian Youth: Social and Psychological Correlates and Prevention

This paper relates psychosocial correlates to prevention. Young native American heavy alcohol users (ages 12 to 16) were matched with non-users. Alcohol users did not have more emotional problems, did not experience less alienation, or did not feel less self-confident or less socially accepted than non-users, but did use other drugs and were more deviant. Alcohol users came more often from broken families, felt less family caring and had fewer family sanctions against substance use, had poorer school adjustment, had less hope for the future, and had friends encouraging alcohol and drug use. Prevention programs should start very early and should focus on increasing family strength, improving school adjustment, providing opportunities for the future, breaking up deviant peer clusters and building peer clusters that discourage alcohol and drug use.

American Indian youth and drugs, 1976-87: a continuing problem.

Continuing surveillance of drug use among American Indian adolescents living on reservations shows them to have rates of use higher than those of their non-Indian counterparts. Marijuana use is particularly high among Indian students. By the 7th grade a significant number of Indian youth have tried drugs, particularly marijuana and alcohol, and there are few significant differences by gender. Based on observed patterns of use, intervention strategies need to begin in the elementary school years and target both males and females equally.

American Indian Adolescent Drug Use and Socialization Characteristics A Cross-Cultural Comparison

The socialization variables of family strength, religious identification, school adjustment, family sanctions against drug use and peer associations correlate with youth drug abuse. A path model testing the relationships between these variables among Anglo youths has shown that peer drug associations mediate the influence of the other factors and that with minor exceptions peers are likely to be the dominating force in youth drug abuse. The current study applied the same path model to a group of American Indian youths and the findings were replicated with two important exceptions. Peer drug associations, although still dominant in the model, were not as highly correlated with drug use for Indian youths, and family sanctions against drugs had a direct influence on drug use in addition to an indirect influence. Differences in family dynamics among American Indian youths may account for the findings; they may associate more with and learn about drug use from same-aged siblings and other relatives in the extended family, and they may have a greater number of adult family figures to apply sanctions against drug use.

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.