Links Between Alcohol and Other Drug Problems and Maltreatment Among Adolescent Girls: Perceived Discrimination, Ethnic Identity, and Ethnic Orientation as Moderators

• NCJ Number: 240770
• Journal: Child Abuse & Neglect Volume: 36 Issue: 5 Dated: May 2012 Pages: 449-460
• Author(s): Calonie M. K. Gray; Marilyn J. Montgomery
• Date Published: May 2012
• Length: 12 pages
• Grant Number(s): R21AA014914
• Sponsoring Agency: US Dept of Health and Human Services; Florida Education Fund
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

The study examined the associations among maltreatment, posttraumatic-stress (PTSD) symptoms, ethnic-specific factors (i.e., perceived discrimination, ethnic identity, and ethnic orientation), and alcohol and/or other drug (AOD) problems among adolescent girls.

Abstract

The study found that maltreatment was linked to AOD problems, but only through its association with post-traumatic symptoms, which included feeling isolated from others and uncontrollable crying. Thus, maltreatment was positively related to posttraumatic stress symptoms, which were positively related to AOD Problems. Both perceived discrimination and ethnic orientation were significant moderators in this chain. Greater perceived ethnic discrimination was linked with an increased effect of maltreatment on post-traumatic stress symptoms. Ethnic orientation, on the other hand, provided protective properties in the link between maltreatment and AOD problem severity, meaning that girls with high ethnic orientation lessened the effect of maltreatment on AOD problem severity compared to girls with less ethnic orientation. These findings show the importance of including contextual factors when studying ethnic-minority populations. Without attention to the role of ethnicity-specific variables when addressing maltreatment and AOD problems, many Black and Hispanic adolescent girls may not receive the full benefits of interventions. This study used archival data from Black and Hispanic adolescent girls (n = 168) who participated in a larger study that investigated the efficacy of a brief motivational school-based intervention designed to reduce girls' AOD use. Girls who self-identified as African-American (n = 33), Caribbean Black (n = 12), and Black Hispanic (n = 9) composed the group of Black adolescent girls; and girls who self-identified as White Hispanic composed the group of Hispanic adolescent girls (n = 114). Sixty-seven percent of the sample was Hispanic, and 73 percent of these were born in the United States. The girls were from 11 different high schools. 2 tables, 4 figures and 51 references