Race, Coping Strategies, and Substance Use Behaviors: A Preliminary Analysis Examining White and American Indian Adolescents

Abstract

The association between stress exposure and substance use has been the subject of numerous studies. However, no prior study has explored the role of coping strategies in moderating the stress-substance use association for American Indian adolescents. Our preliminary study of coping strategies and substance use among a sample (n = 568) of rural American Indian and white adolescents revealed a number of similarities across both groups, but also some important differences. Results of logistic regression analyses revealed that the relationship between an avoidant coping strategy and marijuana use differed for whites and American Indians. Study limitations and future research directions are discussed.

Keywords :

• American Indians
• coping strategies
• rural adolescents
• social stress
• substance use behaviors

Notes

1 Due to the rural nature of the state, information regarding whether the school district served reservation or nonreservation American Indian students cannot be revealed (under the promise of confidentiality). All selected schools were part of public school districts.

2 The only variable with greater than five percent missing data was the measure of parents’ education (5.8% missing). The coping measures were missing anywhere from 1.2%-3.7% of cases.

3 A number of scholars (e.g. Hoetker, 2007; Zelner, 2009) caution against interpreting interaction terms in nonlinear models in the same way as they are interpreted in OLS regressions. In nonlinear models, the significance of the interaction effect cannot be determined just by the significance of the interaction coefficient (Hoetker, 2007: 336). There can be a significant interaction effect for some observations when the coefficient is not statistically significant, and conversely some observations may not have a significant interaction effect when the coefficient is statistically significant. Hoetker (2007) recommends graphical presentations to “provide a more nuanced understanding of the practical effect” (p. 337). We follow this advice and provide a graphical illustration of a select interaction. Unfortunately, space limitations warrant that we restrict our presentation to one example.