Dear Jesa Readers,
With pleasure, the collection of articles in 16(3) for your attention and enjoyment.
The first series of articles discuss and illustrate the complex relationship between acculturative stress experiences and alcohol/substance use among students. Hunt et al. examined unique acculturative stress experiences and alcohol use among international college students, and reported that efforts to reduce such stress experiences can assist in the reduction of alcohol use consequences. In contrast Mercado et al. in their study on the effect of acculturation on substance use and alcohol dependence among Mexican American college students, found that higher levels of acculturation did not predict increased drug use or alcohol dependence, and was associated with lower use of cocaine and marijuana. Their study suggests that acculturation has an inverse relationship to substance use in this ethnic group, and can act as protective factor. Momper et al. in their qualitative study on tribal members views on alcohol use in the Great Lakes Indian reservation, described how elders utilized talking circles to inform and discuss the negative consequences of alcohol use with youth. Of interest was their indigenous research design whereby the elders and youth were fully participatory in the consultation and facilitation of the study, and where tribal elders used story-telling to convey their own oral histories of the harmful effects of alcohol use for the younger participants. The study offers new pathways for prevention tactics among the American Indian community.
Zemore et al. examined the association between job loss and incidence of alcohol dependence between Blacks and Whites using the 1979 National Longitudinal Survey of Youth, and found stronger and more robust associations between job loss and dependence among Whites than among Blacks, suggesting that such disparities may differ as a function of age and/or time. Nesoff et al. in their study on tobacco policies and on-premise smoking in bars and clubs that cater to young African Americans aged 18–25 years, conducted a systematic observation of bars and clubs with events targeted to this group in Baltimore City at two timepoints (October and November of 2008 and 2010) after enforcement of the Maryland Clean Indoor Air Act (CIAA). Their systematic observation reported on a significant decrease in observed indoor smoking after CIAA enforcement. Observed outdoor smoking also decreased, but this change was not significant. Facilities for smoking outdoors increased significantly.
In terms of healthcare access and uptake, Maragh-Bass et al. assessed the sociodemographic and access-related correlates of healthcare utilization among African American injection drug users in Baltimore. Significant negative correlates of healthcare utilization included age and higher injection frequency; positive correlates included previous incarceration and moderate financial stability. Unemployed publicly insured individuals had 30% higher healthcare utilization than unemployed and uninsured individuals. Ultimately the study underscores the need to continue to enhance healthcare utilization among injection drug users, and particularly among African American cohorts. In Malaysia, Brown et al. conducted a qualitative study using interviews to describe attitudes to medication-assisted treatment for opioid disorders among fishermen who inject drugs. Of interest is that fishermen’s environments and their lifestyles permits substance use, including injecting drugs on boats. Fishermen in this study described unsuccessful attempts to cease use, categorizing substances as haram or halal, and expressed more positive attitudes toward methadone, and negative attitudes toward buprenorphine. The last article by Peavy et al. explored the ethnic and racial differences in attitudes toward 12-step and involvement, and compared baseline differences and treatment outcomes between African American and Caucasian participants. A select few baseline differences were found (i.e., African Americans reported higher levels of spirituality than Caucasians; African American participants indicated more perceived benefits of 12-step involvement; Caucasians were more likely to endorse future involvement in 12-step). There were no outcome differences (e.g., substance use outcomes, 12-step meeting attendance). The tested intervention produced similar outcomes for both groups, indicating that it may be useful across racial categories.
Lastly, I would like to continue to encourage submissions from all over the world so that we continue to publish articles of interest from diverse ethnic populations.