Dear Reader,
I am delighted to present to you a series of articles presenting findings from studies investigating different aspects of ethnicity and its relation to stress/trauma, insomnia, negative life events, gang exposure, discrimination, substance use, misuse, abuse, physician communication, protective behavioral strategies, and recovery.
Jason et al. present findings from a study which collected social network data among residents of an Oxford House (OH) recovery home, which was located on Suquamish Tribal territory. Findings indicated that the OH provided residents a well-integrated network with multiple sources of friendship, trust, and mentors. This is of importance as recovery from substance abuse is facilitated when recovering individuals are provided stable and well-functioning networks that foster social support, access to resources, and mentorship.
Bermea et al. tested the link between gang exposure and adolescent substance use among Hispanic youth and found that the relationship between gang exposure and adolescent substance use was mediated by both access to substances and exposure to violence. Findings provide insight into how gang exposure impacts outcomes for low-income youth. Implications for prevention and policy are discussed by them.
Clawson et al. identified latent classes of adolescent smoking and examined race, gender, and physician communication (PC) as predictors of class membership. Their study identified several youth smoking patterns and differences in smoking based on race, gender, and receipt of PC.
Longo et al. examined relations among gender, ethnicity, athlete seasonal status, alcohol consumption, and protective behavioral strategies (PBS) among student-athletes in a national sample. The study found that there were significant gender and ethnic differences in alcohol consumption as well as gender differences in use of PBS. Within-group gender differences in alcohol use and PBS were present for White and Hispanic but not Black student-athletes. Implications for tailored prevention/intervention efforts and future directions are discussed.
Cunningham et al. assessed the contribution of substance use and stress/traumatic events to hookah use among African American college students (n = 1402) using data from the Fall 2012 American College Health Association-National College Health Assessment (ACHA-NCHA) II. They found that compared to nonusers, hookah users had significantly higher use rates of alcohol, marijuana, other tobacco, and other drugs. Furthermore, hookah use was more likely among those with cumulative stress, yet less likely among older students. An implication is that prevention messages may need to be tailored for African American college students and particularly target younger students, substance users, and those with cumulative stress. These findings can also inform policy discussions regarding hookah use on college campuses.
Hicks et al. examined the mediating effect of anger/hostility on the association between racial discrimination and smoking and the influence of protective social ties in buffering the effects of racial discrimination. They found that racial discrimination is associated with increases in cigarette smoking between baseline and follow-up. Anger/hostility partially mediated this association. Moderational analyses in this study indicated that discrimination had little or no impact on men’s smoking in the presence of protective social ties. Study findings suggest that supportive networks make crucial contributions to the reduction of cigarette smoking and feelings of anger within this population. Intervention developers should consider targeting relationship dynamics with supportive networks to understand coping mechanisms and to reduce substance use among young Black men.
Schmaling et al. examined the association of negative life events (NLEs) with incident alcohol use disorders (AUDs) among Blacks, Hispanics, and Whites in the second wave of the National Comorbidity Survey (NCS) among 3,679 participants without AUDs at the first wave. They found that the number of past-year NLEs at NCS-2 was higher for Black than White participants, but the rates of incident AUDs did not differ by racial/ethnic group (14.2% among all participants). Past-year NLEs were associated with increased odds of incident AUDs for Whites and Hispanics but not Blacks. The implications of racial/ethnic differences in life events and AUDs are discussed.
Manzar et al. investigated the psychometric properties of the Insomnia Severity Index (ISI) in substance-using Ethiopian adults and found that ISI has good psychometric validity among Ethiopian adults with substance use.
Wright et al. conducted a meta-analytic review on the relation between music and substance use among consumers and found that music had a significant effect on substance use, with both music format and genre being significant contributors. The effect of music on substance use also varied by substance type. In addition, participant biological sex and location of data collection were found to moderate the effect of music on substance use. Theoretical implications are discussed by them along with directions for future research.
I do hope you will enjoy this edition of Journal of Ethnicity in Substance Abuse.