Summarizes a longitudinal study of the relationship between various family characteristics and early adolescent drug use. Data were collected in 3 waves on Hispanic, African American, and White non-Hispanic 6th to 9th graders in Dade County, Florida, for a combined sample of greater than 3,000 middle school students, almost exclusively boys. Analysis of the data focused: first, on the relationship between family structure (e.g., two-parent families or single mother) and substance abuse in each ethnic group; then, on the cumulative effects of family environments (e.g., low family pride or cohesion, communication problems) on the initiation of drug use; and, finally, on the relationship of both family structure and environments on illicit drug use. Findings revealed that family structure and environments were more highly associated with substance abuse among Hispanic adolescents than they were for the other two groups. Findings also substantiated other research showing that the context of family relations is more important than its structure as a predictor of early drug use. The differences observed between United States-born and foreign-born Hispanics give evidence of the stress immigrant families and individuals experience as they acculturate to the U.S. (Description from source)
