William H. James

The Influence of Ethnic Identity on Drug Use among Ethnic Minority Adolescents.

Ethnic identity is a significant factor related to self-concept and psychological development and similar to other aspects of identity, is of particular importance during the adolescent years when there is increased vulnerability to drug involvement. However, much of the research relative to adolescent drug use has focused on the annual and current prevalence rates among particular ethnic groups with little attention to ethnic or group identity issues. However, it is important to study and compare ethnic and group identity and its correlates to drug use. This article presents face-to-face interview questionnaire measures of ethnic identity as measured by affirmation and belongingness, ethnic identity achievement, ethnic behavior, and other group orientation [1], and drug use as measured by misuse, abuse, and chemical dependency diagnoses [2]. The questionnaires were administered to 127 (60 Ethnic, 67 White) adolescents from ethnically diverse schools in a large urban school district in the Pacific Northwest. The relationship of ethnic identity to drug use was examined. This study indicates that the questionnaire measures can be used to examine similarities and differences in ethnic identity and drug use among adolescents from different ethnic groups. A key finding of this study was that white adolescents scored lower in ethnic identity than did members of the four ethnic minority groups and the mixed racial group. However, the most significant key finding was that in the ethnic minority sample high levels of cultural identity were associated with heavy drug use. The results of this study suggest that social influences may play a larger role in the development of heavy drug use irrespective of the nature and origins of these social influences.

Examining Racial and Ethnic Differences in Asian Adolescent Drug Use: The contributions of culture, background and lifestyle

Although statistics from various surveys differ, it is acknowledged that drug abuse is increasing among young Asian Americans. This increase is particularly noteworthy among those who reside in urban centres, where there is greater exposure to social influences (Lin, 1986). Extensive exposure of Asian adolescents to Western youth drug culture contributes to a higher risk of developing drug problems. The internalizing of Western culture puts young Asians at risk of engaging in delinquent acts that lead to drug arrests, school dropout, and a greater frequency and duration of drug use. In a nine-month tracking study of Asian youth, their drug use and cultural influences were assessed using the Adolescent Substance Battery. It is suggested that the transition to Western culture disrupts the hierarchical family structure, interdependence, and self-identity of young Asian Americans.

PREDICTORS OF DRIVING WHILE INTOXICATED (DWI) AMONG AMERICAN INDIANS IN THE NORTHWEST.

This study compares DWI arrest records for American Indians to those of the general population in Washington State. Within the period January 1987 through December 1987, 1,067 American Indians were arrested for DWI. This sample was compared for age, gender, and occupational status to 28,130 total DWI arrestees during the same period. The data indicate that American Indians were the most over-represented population as they were two-and-one-half times as likely to be arrested for DWI, compared to overall DWI arrest population. The population of American Indians arrested for DWI was three times as likely to be unemployed as compared to the resident labor force of all American Indians. This research supports the conclusion that DWI arrests may be viewed as a symptom of alcohol misuse, abuse, or chemical dependency for American Indians, and that a DWI prevention approach should include education, prevention, intervention, treatment, aftercare, and law enforcement efforts that are sensitive to tribal diversity.

Examining the Relationship between Gender and Drug-Using Behaviors in Adolescents: The Use of Diagnostic Assessments and Biochemical Analyses of Urine Samples

The present study examined the relationship between gender and drug-use among adolescents using diagnostic assessments and biochemical analyses of urine samples. The data were collected in the context of a referral and assessment program for adolescents suspected of using drugs, using the Adolescent Substance Battery [1]. A six-month random sample of 20 percent of adolescents assessed for drug use were targeted for biochemical assay. Compliance for urine delivery was relatively high at 91 percent. Urine samples were quantitatively screened for pharmaceuticals using a standard thin-layer chromatography (TLC) technique [2]. Statistical significance was found in the relationship between gender and marijuana use (p = .05). This study confirms that gender and drug-using behaviors among adolescents need additional research and evaluation.

Early Prevention of Alcohol and other Drug Use among Adolescents

Among a variety of methods to prevent drug use among adolescents, school-community based prevention and intervention programs are prevalent. The impact of such programs will be compromised, however, if drug use among adolescents is impacted by forces apart from the impact of school-community prevention and intervention, such as the function of the family. On the other hand, prevention and intervention programs can have a powerful impact if teenage drug use is responded to through early intervention. The purpose of this study was to review a sample of students referred for drug assessments to determine how early intervention should occur and how involved high school and middle school students are with alcohol and other drugs.

Treatment of Chemically Dependent Adolescents in an Alternative High School Setting

This paper describes a treatment program for adolescents in an alternative high school. The program includes he adolescent substance battery, student assistance services, and treatment modalities for adolescents who have used drugs. Assessment and diagnosis, the development of treatment tracks, and objectives of the program are described. Treatment issues such as substance misuse and abuse, chemical dependency, and defensiveness need extensive consideration when implementing programs for adolescents using drugs. This article serves as a stimulus in designing, planning, and implementing adolescent treatment programs.

Substance Abuse among Displaced and Indigenous Peoples

On nearly every landmass of the earth there are indigenous peoples who have been displaced from what were once their native lands. Some have been relocated to designated reservations, often in isolated and resource-poor areas. Others have been dispersed into remote wilderness. Sometimes attempts have been made to exterminate them, or to strip away their native culture and assimilate them. Some populations have been removed from their homeland altogether, deported to foreign soil as prisoners or slaves. These displaced peoples are as diverse as humanity can be: the Maori of New Zealand, the Eskimos and Athabascans of Alaska, the black and colored peoples of South Africa, the Aboriginal people of Australia, African-Americans, Native Hawaiians, the Indians north and south of America’s Rio Grande.

At-Risk Students: drug prevention through afterschool/latchkey programs?

The importance of after school latchkey programs as a major deterrent to the onset of drug use among elementary and secondary school students is reviewed. Most of the data in this study support the need for after school latchkey programs, especially at the elementary school level. Elementary school students indicated gains in all diagnostic categories. The elementary school students showed positive gain scores in family, school, self-esteem, substance use, and personal abuse categories. Elementary school students showed positive gain scores in the substance use category while secondary school students showed negative gain in this area. There is a need to reassert the role of after school latchkey programs in the development of socially desirable behaviors in elementary school students, with a particular need to reassert the role of increasing positive self-esteem in relation to drug use and peer influences. Some implications for educational interventions and drug prevention programs are discussed.

Cross-cultural counseling: A systematic approach to understanding the issues

Counseling theory and practice tend to be dominated by a European-American orientation. Cross-cultural counseling is advanced as an approach that transcends European dominance while focusing on the specific needs of African American, Asian and Pacific Islander, Hispanic/Latino, and Native American cultures. This paper reviews the major conceptual models, described by social scientists, and advances a more culturally sensitive, cross-cultural approach to conceptualizing counseling theory and practice when counseling members of large minority groups living in the United States.

Adolescents and Substance Abuse Testing: Consideration of treatment models

Substance abuse testing and treatment programs for adolescents using drugs are receiving increased attention on high school campuses. Many policymakers question drug testing and the treatment models for adolescent substance abusers. This paper explores the impact of drug testing. Treatment models and approaches for substance abuse are presented. It is recommended that treatment counselors explore drug testing in relationship to treatment models for substance use. We advise counselors to consider comprehensive programs for adolescents based on their belief systems and values assigned to moral, medical and social models of treatment.