Identifying Potential Risk and Protective Factors among Non-Metropolitan Latino Youth: Cultural Implications for Substance Use Research

Abstract

Immigration studies show that the social adaptation of second-generation youth is conditioned by the pace of acculturation among parents and children, cultural and economic barriers, and family and community resources for confronting barriers. This research, however, has primarily focused on the link between acculturation and acculturative stress on Latino adolescents residing in large urban communities. There is a lack of research on the social integration of Latino youth living in rapidly expanding non-metropolitan communities. Consequently, we explored cultural aspects and potential risk and protective factors for early onset of alcohol use for Latino youth. Our findings indicate these rural Latino youth face unique and common stressors compared to urban youth that place them at risk for alcohol use. Cultural expectations surrounding substance use, however, may serve as protective factors to substance use for Latino youth, particularly girls.

The Role of Acculturation, Parenting, and Family in Hispanic/Latino Adolescent Substance Use: Findings From a Qualitative Analysis

“…These gender differences in how parents monitor or supervise their children have been identified in other qualitative studies of Hispanic/Latino youth, and it has been suggested that traditional cultural values may serve a protective function for Hispanic/Latina girls (Torres Stone & Meyler, 2007). Interestingly, in the current study most of the parents denied treating their boys and girls differently.…”

“…Several studies have demonstrated the statistical association between acculturation and substance use among adolescents (Epstein et al, 1998;Fosados et al, 2007;Unger et al, 2000), and some have highlighted acculturation discrepancy and acculturative stress as factors that may increase adolescents' risk for substance use (Gil et al, 2000;Torres Stone & Meyler, 2007). In the current study, we provided qualitative accounts from adolescents and parents that describe their view of how acculturation affects their families, values, and behavior.…”

“…These may include conflicts in gender roles (Salgado de Snyder, 1987), concerns about deportation or immigration status, perceived discrimination (Gil et al, 2000), difficulties learning a new language, changes in family relationships (Torres Stone & Meyler, 2007), or feelings of marginalization or inauthenticity (Rudmin, 2003). These stressors have the potential to affect the psychological well-being of both adolescents and their parents in several ways, including increasing the likelihood of psychological disorders (Alegria et al, 2007;Hovey, 2000;Salgado de Snyder, 1987), delinquency (Samaniego & Gonzales, 1999), suicidal ideation (Hovey, 2000), and substance use (Gil et al, 2000).…”

Longitudinal Predictors of Intimate Partner Violence Perpetration and Victimization in Latino Emerging Adults

“…Among Latinas, early alcohol use has previously been associated with low bilingualism, poor family relations, and low grade point average (Wahl and Eitle 2010). Moreover, early alcohol use can be particularly salient in Latino culture where gendered expectations are more accepting of alcohol use among boys compared to girls (Stone and Meyler 2007). Our findings provide evidence of the different risk factors to target in intimate partner violence interventions for Latino adolescents and emerging adults.…”

Social Determinants of Alcohol Use and Heaving Episodic Drinking Among Hispanic Young Adults

“…A possible explanation for this difference is related to the gender stratification within the Hispanic culture [23]. Traditionally, in this culture, males are encouraged to promote a sense of strong machismo or masculinity, and thereby consume more alcohol than females, whereas females are discouraged from consuming alcohol [24]. Previous studies have asserted gender differences as a risk factor for alcohol use in this population [25,26].…”