NCJ Number
173614
Journal
Journal of Drug Issues Volume: 28 Issue: 2 Dated: Spring 1998 Pages: 283-298
Date Published
1998
Length
16 pages
Annotation
Because family characteristics are known to vary across race/ethnic groups and prior research suggests a connection between family characteristics and adolescent drug use, this study investigated the impact of family on race/ethnic differences in drug use.
Abstract
To address the issue of the differential impact of family structure and function on the drug use of black, white, and Latino youth, the study analyzed data from the second wave of the National Survey of Families and Household (NSFH). The 1992 component of this survey provides information on a wide variety of family issues. Specifically, it contains the responses of one focal child per family regarding relationships with other family members and patterns of use of alcohol, cigarettes, and marijuana or hashish. Additionally, interviews with parents of these children provided data on variables for which adolescents may have limited knowledge. The sample consisted of 1,389 adolescents between the ages of 10 and 17 whose parents identified themselves as either black, Latino, or white. The study found that although socioeconomic and demographic characteristics alone explained drug-use differences between Latinos and non-Latino whites, the differences between black and white adolescents could not be explained by either structural or functional differences in the family. Furthermore, apparently the single-parent black family provided greater protection against drug use than did the two- biological-parent black family. Findings suggest that the development of policy based on a knowledge of correlates of substance use within the white community may be both inefficient and ineffective when applied to minority communities. 4 tables and 65 references