Trajectories of Acculturation and Enculturation in Relation to Heavy Episodic Drinking and Marijuana Use in a Sample of Mexican American Serious Juvenile Offenders

Abstract

This study examines the longitudinal relations of multiple dimensions of acculturation and enculturation to heavy episodic drinking and marijuana use in a sample of 300 male, MexicanAmerican, serious juvenile offenders. We track trajectories between ages 15 and 20 and also consider the effects of participants' time spent residing in supervised settings during these years. Results showed some (although not entirely consistent) support for the hypothesis that bicultural adaptation is most functional in terms of lowered substance use involvement. The current findings demonstrate the importance of examining these relations longitudinally and among multiple dimensions of acculturation and enculturation, and they call into question simple models that suggest that greater acculturation is associated with greater substance use among Mexican-American adolescents.

Depression in Latina mothers: Examining the roles of acculturation, enculturation, social support, and family resources.

“…Previous research has shown that Latino immigrants largely identify with the integration/bicultural category in which they have integrated both culture's views into their own identity (Neto, 2002;Roccas, Horenczyk, & Schwartz, 2000;van Oudenhoven & Eisses, 1998). Further, studies have found that the extent to which an individual integrates both culture's views (i.e., integration/bicultural) is associated with better psychological outcomes when compared to those incorporating one culture (Berry, Kim, Minde, & Mok, 1987;LaFromboise, Coleman & Gerton, 1993;Losoya et al, 2008;Smokowski & Bacallao, 2007;Smokowski, Rose, & Bacallao 2008;Sullivan et al, 2007;Zarate, Bhimji, & Reese, 2005).…”

Some Initial Findings and Policy Implications of the Pathways to Desistance Study

“…Pathways investigators used a subset of the Pathways sample (300 male Mexican-American offenders) to examine the relationship of cultural adaptation to patterns of heavy episodic drinking and marijuana use from ages 15 to 20 (Losoya, et al, 2008). These investigators found that bicultural adaptation (i.e., successful adaptation to both the ethnic and mainstream cultures) is related to lower substance use.…”

Do the Effects of Strain and Religiosity on Criminal Coping Differ by Race and Ethnicity?

“…In addition, Lorenzo-Blanco, Unger, Baezconde-Garbanati, Ritt-Olson, and Soto (2012) concluded that Hispanic youth experience the process of assimilation in ways unique to them, meaning that Blacks and Whites do not go through this same social and cultural process. The authors suggested that acculturation increases these youth’s risk of delinquency, whereas enculturation protects against involvement in negative or harmful behaviors (see also Losoya et al, 2008; Maldonado-Molina, Piquero, Jennings, Bird, & Canino, 2009). This evidence highlights the importance of identifying racial/ethnic differences in exposures to negative life events and the implementation of coping mechanisms.…”