| Description |
The current study investigated the relationships between Hispanic adolescent drug use, friends' drug use, parental and community risk and protective factors across Hispanic adolescent development. Survey data from the 2012 Arizona Youth Survey (AYS) were analyzed to better understand the relationship between the aforementioned variables. A total of 14,273 surveys completed by 8th-, 10th-, and 12th-grade Hispanic adolescents were used in the analyses. Generalized Linear Mixed Model (GLMM) regression analyses were used to assess the relationships between the research variables. Results confirmed the significant relationship between higher levels of friends' substance use and Hispanic adolescent substance use. Analyses also indicated that factors such as gender, predominant language spoken at home, grade level, parental attachment, parental injunctive norms, and community injunctive norms were significant factors associated with Hispanic adolescent use of alcohol, marijuana, and cigarettes (AMC). Parental attachment and parental injunctive norms were also associated with a reduction in the strength of the relationship between Hispanic adolescent AMC use and friends' use. Results from prescription drug abuse (PD abuse) models indicate that many factors were not significant or were associated with less change in use. Some variability in the variable results were noted across grade levels. Future research that includes additional comparison groups, multiple measures, and single drugs as outcomes may provide greater understanding of factors associated with Hispanic adolescent substance use. |
