Antisocial Behavior and Psychoactive Substance Involvement Among Hispanic and Non-Hispanic Caucasian Adolescents in Substance Abuse Treatment

ABSTRACT

The conduct disorder behaviors and substance involvement of Hispanic and non-Hispanic Caucasian adolescents receiving treatment for alcohol and other drag abuse were compared in order to examine differences in problem behaviors prior to entering treatment. Thirty-four, 12–18 year old non-Hispanic Caucasian participants were socio-demographically matched to 34 Hispanic adolescent alcohol and drag abusers from a larger longitudinal study. Each adolescent and a collateral informant (usually a parent) were interviewed while in treatment using the Customary Drinking and Drag Use Record to assess their current and lifetime substance involvement and the Conduct Disorder Questionnaire to assess current and Lifetime conduct disorder behaviors. Non-Hispanic Caucasian adolescents were 3 times as likely to be diagnosed with conduct disorder prior to onset of substance involvement than their Hispanic peers. Hispanic adolescents were more likely to have been involved in a gang. The conduct disorder behaviors of Hispanic adolescents were more highly correlated with their substance involvement compared to non-Hispanic Caucasian adolescents. Conduct disorder behaviors were predictive of drug involvement and dependence symptoms at the time of treatment entry for Hispanic teens while conduct disorder behaviors did not predict of substance involvement for non-Hispanic Caucasian teens. Results suggest ethnic differences in the developmental course of conduct problems and substance involvement among adolescents in treatment for substance abuse, and suggest different etiologic pathways to alcohol and drug abuse across ethnic groups.