NCJ Number
129513
Journal
Social Science and Medicine Volume: 29 Issue: 6 Dated: (1989) Pages: 779-789
Date Published
1989
Length
11 pages
Annotation
The drug use involvement of four generational status groups of Puerto Rican adolescents in two different settings -- New York City and San Juan, Puerto Rico -- were examined.
Abstract
It was hypothesized that the more the perceived environment dimensions of the different generational status groups have characteristics conducive to drug use, the greater will be the drug use involvement of the groups. The groups surveyed in New York City were New York City-born Puerto Ricans and New York migrants (island-born Puerto Rican adolescents). The two groups identified in Puerto Rico were Puerto Rican islanders (adolescents who had never lived outside of Puerto Rico) and Puerto Rican immigrants (New York City-born youngsters of Puerto-Rican parentage whose families had returned to Puerto Rico). The drug use involvement of the four groups of Puerto Rican adolescents paralleled the exposure of the groups to a host society, New York City, which has a higher prevalence of adolescent drug use than the culture of origin, Puerto Rico. The longer New York migrants lived in New York City, the greater their drug use involvement. The impact of length of time living in New York City varied with the adolescent's gender with higher risk of drug involvement observed for female migrants. Socioeconomic status was associated with Puerto Rican adolescent's drug use involvement in the New York City subgroups, but not among the students in Puerto Rico. 6 tables and 74 references (Author abstract modified)