Substance Abuse Among Blacks Across the Diaspora

ABSTRACT

Background: Lower rates of substance abuse are found among Black Americans compared to Whites, but little is known about differences in substance abuse across ethnic groups within the black population. Objectives: We examined prevalence rates of substance abuse among Blacks across three geographic regions (US, Jamaica, Guyana). The study also sought to ascertain whether length of time, national context and major depressive episodes (MDE) were associated with substance abuse. Methods: We utilized three different data sources based upon probability samples collected in three different countries. The samples included 3,570 African Americans and 1,621 US Caribbean Black adults from the 2001–2003 National Survey of American Life (NSAL). An additional 1,142 Guyanese Blacks and 1,176 Jamaican Blacks living in the Caribbean region were included from the 2005 NSAL replication extension study, Family Connections Across Generations and Nations (FCGN). Mental disorders were based upon DSM-IV criteria. For the analysis, we used descriptive statistics, chi-square, and multivariate logistic regression analytic procedures. Results: Prevalence of substance abuse varied by national context, with higher rates among Blacks within the United States compared to the Caribbean region. Rates of substance abuse were lower overall for women, but differ across cohorts by nativity and length of time in the United States, and in association with major depressive episode. Conclusions: The study highlights the need for further examination of how substance abuse disparities between US-based and Caribbean-based populations may become manifested.

KEYWORDS:

• Migration
• substance abuse
• African diaspora

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Krim K. Lacey

Krim K. Lacey, PhD, earned his degree in sociology from Wayne State University. He currently has research affiliation with the University of Michigan's Institute for Social Research, Program for Research on Black Americans. His primary research interest is on intimate partner violence, particularly focusing on minority and immigrant populations. He has also been engaged in research that addresses the influence of social context and cultural factors on the physical and mental well-being of Caribbeans residing in the United States, Canada and England, and within the Caribbean region.

Dawne M. Mouzon

Dawne M. Mouzon, PhD, MPH, MA is a sociologist and an Assistant Professor at the Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy, where she teaches courses in public health and public policy. Dr. Mouzon's research includes investigations of racial discrimination and health, the Black-White mental health paradox, and structural inequalities affecting Black family formation and success.

Ishtar O. Govia

Ishtar O. Govia, MA, MTS, PhD, is a faculty member at the Tropical Medicine Research Institute, University of the West Indies, Jamaica. Her interests include social inequalities and population mental health and cognitive impairment among the aging, effective treatments for common mental disorders and dementia, particularly simple interventions that use nonmedical workers and strong community support. She is especially interested in projects that integrate mental health and dementia problems in the care of other chronic non-communicable diseases in the Caribbean and other resource-constrained contexts.

Niki Matusko

Niki Matusko, BS, is a research area specialist for the Program for Research on Black Americans at the University of Michigan Institute for Social Research. She is well versed in advanced statistical procedures such as structural equation modeling, hierarchical linear modeling, time series, and autoregressive integrated moving average (ARIMA) forecasting. In addition, she has extensive experience in compiling and presenting secondary research such as market share quantification, in-migration and out-migration patterns, and various strategic intelligence analyses. Her roles have included client research analyst, health information specialist, and strategic market analyst. She has a bachelor of science degree in mathematics from the University of Michigan.

Ivy Forsythe-Brown

Ivy Forsythe-Brown, PhD, is an Assistant Professor of sociology in the Department of Behavioral Sciences at the University of Michigan-Dearborn. Her research focuses on the impact of societal incorporation on family contextual processes and health status for Caribbean and other immigrant groups in the United States, Britain, and Canada. Specifically, Dr. Forsythe-Brown's work examine issues of social support, transnational kinship relations, identity, and mental and physical health outcomes among immigrant groups. Her works have examined the connection between the health status of Black Caribbean immigrants and Caribbean residents, and the impact of social and kin support among Caribbean immigrant families in the U.S. Her current projects include an examination of kin support among Jamaicans, the socioeconomic and religious status of second generation South Asian Muslims, and the educational experiences of second generation, Arab American college women.

Jamie M. Abelson

Jamie M. Abelson, MSW, has been a member of the research staff of the University of Michigan, Institute for Social Research, Program for Research on Black Americans since 1998. She manages the data collection for various PRBA research studies, and provides expertise regarding the assessment of mental health disorders, and the analysis of mental health data, in both quantitative and qualitative studies of health and mental health in the black population.

James S. Jackson

James S. Jackson, PhD, is the Daniel Katz distinguished university professor of psychology, professor of Afro-American and African Studies, and former director of the Institute for Social Research, all at the University of Michigan. His research focuses on issues of racial and ethnic influences on life course development, attitude change, reciprocity, social support, and coping and health among Blacks in the Diaspora. He is currently directing the most extensive social, political behavior, and mental and physical health surveys on the African American and Black Caribbean populations ever conducted. He is a member of the National Academy of Medicine and the National Science Board.