Lifetime Use of Cigarettes, Alcohol, Marijuana and Inhalants in Latino Early Adolescents

Abstract

A growing population in the US is Latinos, an ethnic group defined by people of origin from Latin America. By 2050, Hispanics will be at least one quarter of the United States population (U.S. Census Bureau, 2006) with a substantial proportion under the age of 25 (Vaughan, Kratz, & D'argent, 2011). Yet, the literature on substance use among Latino adolescents is not advancing parallel to the growth of the population (Szapocznik, Lopez, Prado, Schwartz, & Pantin, 2006). Health concerns during early adolescence can have a lasting impact on the Latino community and society at large, as early substance initiation can lead to addiction during adulthood (Behrendt, Wittchen, Höfler, Lieb, & Beesdo, 2009). Therefore, research that aims to identify psychosocial determinants that serve as risk and protective factors specific to Latino early adolescents is needed as a critical first step in the development of culturally specific prevention initiatives (Vaughan et al., 2011).

KEYWORDS:

• Alcohol
• marijuana
• inhalant
• adolescent
• Latino