Skip to main content
PMC home page
Bulletin of the New York Academy of Medicine logoLink to Bulletin of the New York Academy of Medicine
. 1995 Summer;72(1):57–75.

Perceived risks and benefits of alcohol, cigarette, and drug use among urban low-income African-American early adolescents.

S Feigelman 1, X Li 1, B Stanton 1
PMCID: PMC2359418  PMID: 7581315

Abstract

Perceptions about drugs and the social environment may be important influences on cigarette, alcohol and drug use, yet little is known regarding the perspective of early adolescent boys and girls, especially among minority urban youths. Among 351 African-American low-income urban youth, 9 through 15 years of age, completing a community-based computerized questionnaire, 25% acknowledged alcohol, cigarette, and/or illicit drug use in the past 6 months; 19% expected to use one of those substances in the next 6 months. Family exposure to drugs increased the likelihood that youths expected to use drugs by factors of 4.5 (boys) and 2.5 (girls). Other factors (feelings about drugs, community drug use, long-term expectations) distinguished users from nonusers or had different associations with use in boys and girls. Gender-specific perceptions about drugs may have the potential to be modified in drug and substance use prevention programs.

Full text

PDF
67

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Bachman J. G., Wallace J. M., Jr, O'Malley P. M., Johnston L. D., Kurth C. L., Neighbors H. W. Racial/Ethnic differences in smoking, drinking, and illicit drug use among American high school seniors, 1976-89. Am J Public Health. 1991 Mar;81(3):372–377. doi: 10.2105/ajph.81.3.372. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Black M. M., Ricardo I. B. Drug use, drug trafficking, and weapon carrying among low-income, African-American, early adolescent boys. Pediatrics. 1994 Jun;93(6 Pt 2):1065–1072. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Bush P. J., Iannotti R. J. Alcohol, cigarette, and marijuana use among fourth-grade urban schoolchildren in 1988/89 and 1990/91. Am J Public Health. 1993 Jan;83(1):111–114. doi: 10.2105/ajph.83.1.111. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Dembo R., Williams L., Wothke W., Schmeidler J., Getreu A., Berry E., Wish E. D., Christensen C. The relationship between cocaine use, drug sales, and other delinquency among a cohort of high-risk youths over time. NIDA Res Monogr. 1990;103:112–135. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Dielman T. E., Butchart A. T., Shope J. T., Miller M. Environmental correlates of adolescent substance use and misuse: implications for prevention programs. Int J Addict. 1990;25(7A-8A):855–880. doi: 10.3109/10826089109071027. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Dishion T. J., Patterson G. R., Reid J. R. Parent and peer factors associated with drug sampling in early adolescence: implications for treatment. NIDA Res Monogr. 1988;77:69–93. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Edlin B. R., Irwin K. L., Faruque S., McCoy C. B., Word C., Serrano Y., Inciardi J. A., Bowser B. P., Schilling R. F., Holmberg S. D. Intersecting epidemics--crack cocaine use and HIV infection among inner-city young adults. Multicenter Crack Cocaine and HIV Infection Study Team. N Engl J Med. 1994 Nov 24;331(21):1422–1427. doi: 10.1056/NEJM199411243312106. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Gross J., McCaul M. E. A comparison of drug use and adjustment in urban adolescent children of substance abusers. Int J Addict. 1990;25(4A):495–511. doi: 10.3109/10826089009105127. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Hansell S., White H. R. Adolescent drug use, psychological distress, and physical symptoms. J Health Soc Behav. 1991 Sep;32(3):288–301. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Irwin C. E., Jr, Millstein S. G. Biopsychosocial correlates of risk-taking behaviors during adolescence. Can the physician intervene? J Adolesc Health Care. 1986 Nov;7(6 Suppl):82S–96S. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Jessor R. Successful adolescent development among youth in high-risk settings. Am Psychol. 1993 Feb;48(2):117–126. doi: 10.1037//0003-066x.48.2.117. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Johnson C. A., Pentz M. A., Weber M. D., Dwyer J. H., Baer N., MacKinnon D. P., Hansen W. B., Flay B. R. Relative effectiveness of comprehensive community programming for drug abuse prevention with high-risk and low-risk adolescents. J Consult Clin Psychol. 1990 Aug;58(4):447–456. doi: 10.1037//0022-006x.58.4.447. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Johnson R. E., Marcos A. C. Correlates of adolescent drug use by gender and geographic location. Am J Drug Alcohol Abuse. 1988;14(1):51–63. doi: 10.3109/00952998809001535. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Kandel D. B., Logan J. A. Patterns of drug use from adolescence to young adulthood: I. Periods of risk for initiation, continued use, and discontinuation. Am J Public Health. 1984 Jul;74(7):660–666. doi: 10.2105/ajph.74.7.660. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Kandel D., Yamaguchi K. From beer to crack: developmental patterns of drug involvement. Am J Public Health. 1993 Jun;83(6):851–855. doi: 10.2105/ajph.83.6.851. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Li X., Feigelman S. Recent and intended drug trafficking among male and female urban African-American early adolescents. Pediatrics. 1994 Jun;93(6 Pt 2):1044–1049. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. MacKinnon D. P., Johnson C. A., Pentz M. A., Dwyer J. H., Hansen W. B., Flay B. R., Wang E. Y. Mediating mechanisms in a school-based drug prevention program: first-year effects of the Midwestern Prevention Project. Health Psychol. 1991;10(3):164–172. doi: 10.1037//0278-6133.10.3.164. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Newcomb M. D., Bentler P. M. Cocaine use among adolescents: longitudinal associations with social context, psychopathology, and use of other substances. Addict Behav. 1986;11(3):263–273. doi: 10.1016/0306-4603(86)90054-7. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Oetting E. R., Beauvais F. Adolescent drug use: findings of national and local surveys. J Consult Clin Psychol. 1990 Aug;58(4):385–394. doi: 10.1037//0022-006x.58.4.385. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. St Pierre T. L., Kaltreider D. L., Mark M. M., Aikin K. J. Drug prevention in a community setting: a longitudinal study of the relative effectiveness of a three-year primary prevention program in boys & girls clubs across the nation. Am J Community Psychol. 1992 Dec;20(6):673–706. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  21. Stanton B., Black M., Feigelman S., Ricardo I., Galbraith J., Li X., Kaljee L., Keane V., Nesbitt R. Development of a culturally, theoretically and developmentally based survey instrument for assessing risk behaviors among African-American early adolescents living in urban low-income neighborhoods. AIDS Educ Prev. 1995 Apr;7(2):160–177. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  22. Stanton B., Romer D., Ricardo I., Black M., Feigelman S., Galbraith J. Early initiation of sex and its lack of association with risk behaviors among adolescent African-Americans. Pediatrics. 1993 Jul;92(1):13–19. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  23. Thomas S. M., Fick A. C., Henderson J., Doherty K. Tobacco, alcohol, and marijuana use among black adolescents: a comparison across gender, grade, and school environment. J La State Med Soc. 1990 Apr;142(4):37–42. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  24. Tobler N. S. Drug prevention programs can work: research findings. J Addict Dis. 1992;11(3):1–28. doi: 10.1300/J069v11n03_01. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  25. Vega W. A., Zimmerman R. S., Warheit G. J., Apospori E., Gil A. G. Risk factors for early adolescent drug use in four ethnic and racial groups. Am J Public Health. 1993 Feb;83(2):185–189. doi: 10.2105/ajph.83.2.185. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  26. Windle M., Barnes G. M. Similarities and differences in correlates of alcohol consumption and problem behaviors among male and female adolescents. Int J Addict. 1988 Jul;23(7):707–728. doi: 10.3109/10826088809058835. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Bulletin of the New York Academy of Medicine are provided here courtesy of New York Academy of Medicine

RESOURCES