Drinking and driving among immigrant and US-born Hispanic young adults: Results from a longitudinal and nationally representative study

Abstract

Objective-To evaluate the risk factors associated with the initiation of driving under the influence (DUI) among Hispanics in a longitudinal and nationally-representative sample of adolescents and young adults. Specifically, this study tests the effect of demographic variables, individual-level risk factors, and eco-processes (e.g., peer drug use, parental involvement) during adolescence on DUI among Hispanic young adults.Methods-Data were derived from 1,734 Hispanic adolescents surveyed for the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health). Survey logistic regression procedures were used to examine the effects of nativity status on DUI initiation, to evaluate the independent effect of each risk factor (demographic, individual-level, and eco-processes), and to identify whether and to what extent these factors are associated with the initiation of DUI.Results-The overall prevalence of DUI initiation was 18.3%. Differences were observed in the rates of DUI initiation by nativity status: first-generation immigrants reported the lowest rates of DUI initiation (15.4%) when compared with second-generation US-born Hispanic youth (17.4%) and third-generation and beyond US-born Hispanic youth (21.5%). US-born Hispanic youth were also more likely to report higher frequency of alcohol use (t=3.46, p=.001) and marijuana use (t=2.34, p=.021) compared to immigrant adolescents. After adjusting for a number of risk factors, men (OR=2.86), marijuana users (OR=1.98), and those who reported feeling safe in their neighborhoods (OR=2.02) were at an increased risk DUI initiation. Conflict of Interest:All authors declare that they have no conflicts of interests.Publisher's Disclaimer: This is a PDF file of an unedited manuscript that has been accepted for publication. As a service to our customers we are providing this early version of the manuscript. The manuscript will undergo copyediting, typesetting, and review of the resulting proof before it is published in its final citable form. Please note that during the production process errors may be discovered which could affect the content, and all legal disclaimers that apply to the journal pertain. & Greene, 1998;Walker, Treno, Grube, & Light, 2003). Hispanic adolescents viewed DUI as less hazardous (Ginsburg, et al., 2008) and were nearly twice as likely to ride with drivers who had been drinking compared to Whites (Walker, et al., 2003). Moreover, Hispanic drivers tended to report higher rates of legal alcohol intoxication, speeding, and invalid driver's licenses (Harper, Marine, Garrett, Lezotte, & Lowenstein, 2000). Overall, Hispanics reported believing that a larger number of drinks would be necessary to affect their driving ability when compared with other ethnic groups (Bergdahl, 2007;Caetano & Clark, 2000). NIH Public AccessEfforts to understand the prevalence and etiology of DUI among Hispanics are challenged by the heterogeneity within the Hispanic population. US-born Hispanics are approximately three times more likely to drink and drive than Hispan...

Predictores de la conducción bajo los efectos del alcohol entre los adolescentes españoles

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Substance Use Disorders Among First- and Second-Generation Immigrant Adults in the United States: Evidence of an Immigrant Paradox?

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