An Exploratory Model of Substance Use Among Asian American Women: The Role of Depression, Coping, Peer Use and Asian Values

Abstract

This study explored the relationship among Asian values, depressive symptoms, perceived peer substance use, coping strategies, and substance use among 167 Asian American college women. More than 66% of the women in our sample scored higher than the clinical cutoff score on the Center of Epidemiological Depression Scale. Three path analyses examining illicit drugs, alcohol use, and binge drinking indicated that perceived peer use was the most robust predictor of substance use. Depressive symptoms were positively associated with illicit drug use and alcohol consumption but were not related to binge drinking. Asian values and coping strategies were not predictive of substance use. Additional analysis revealed that avoidant coping was a strong predictor of depressive symptoms.

KEYWORDS:

• alcohol use
• Asian American Women
• depressive symptoms
• enculturation and coping strategies
• peer use
• substance use

Acknowledgments

This study was supported by a supplemental grant from the National Institute of Drug Abuse (R01-DA018730). Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Institute of Health.

Notes

Note. *p < .05. **p < .01. Peer substance use (sub) 1 = peers who drink alcohol; peer sub 2 = peers who use cigarettes; peer sub 3 = peers who use cocaine; peer sub 4 = peers who use marijuana.