Dear Reader,
I am delighted to present to you a range of articles, all investigating and reporting on various aspects of substance use, misuse and abuse trajectories, and ethnically sensitive prevention and support interventions.
Sarkar and colleagues, in 2017, assessed internalized stigma among individuals with substance use disorders in India and how this relationship affects their quality of life. The study found internalized stigma and dissatisfaction with quality of life to be high among those with substance use disorders and recommended interventions to help improve quality of life of those individuals. Eduardo Romano and colleagues in their longitudinal study looked at the behaviors of Latino immigrant drivers in Florida, in relation to driving while under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs, and found that interventions should be put in place to identify those who have a history of driving while under the influence of either alcohol or drugs in their country of origin.
Raul Caetano et al., in 2014, carried out a study with residents of a metropolitan area of San Juan, Puerto Rico, to determine levels of child exposure to alcohol-related issues or an adult with an alcohol problem. The study found a considerable number of children were exposed to an adult with alcohol problems and recommended family support programs be put in place, particularly support specific to the exposed children. Allyson Kelley, Morgan Witzel, and Bethany Fatupaito carried out a systematic review of tribal best practices and how to implement these in substance use prevention programs for American Indians. They found that there is limited literature on tribal best practices and that further endeavors are required to implement these in substance use prevention. Bridgette Peteet carried out a systematic review looking at prescription drug misuse in racial/ethnic minorities and found a high prevalence of prescription drug misuse in populations such as veterans and bisexual and gay young adults.
Alfonso Mercado and colleagues investigated the association of academic outcomes, relationships, and substance use with alcohol dependence among Latino college students and found that those with an alcohol dependence showed significant effects in academic outcomes and relationships. Rebecca Roppoloa et al. examined the difference between Spanish and English-speaking Latino Americans regarding their knowledge of recreational marijuana laws, health effects, and perceptions of risk for marijuana use. The results of this study suggest that campaigns regarding legalized marijuana should be tailored specifically for Latino audiences. Barbara Berman and colleagues, in 2009, conducted research to identify pathways to help African American substance users in treatment services stop smoking and found that smoking cessation programs in treatment services are inadequate and steps are required to develop and improve these programs. Craig Dearfield and his coauthors investigated the correlation between individual, social, and neighborhood factors influencing the smoking-related health inequities of urban minorities and uptake of smoking cessation services. The study found that social contexts significantly affect individual smoking behaviors.
I do hope you will enjoy this edition of Journal of Ethnicity in Substance Abuse.
Editor in Chief