Initiation of alcohol, marijuana, and inhalant use by American-Indian and white youth living on or near reservations.

Background: Early initiation of drinking, intoxication, marijuana, and inhalant use is associated with negative outcomes and substance use trajectories. Using national datasets, American Indian (AI) youth have been found to initiate substance use earlier than other youth. This study uses a population-based sample of youth living on or near reservations to compare substance use onset for AI and white youth where socioeconomic conditions may be similar for these youth.

The moderating effects of perceived emotional benefits on inhalant initiation among American Indian and white youth.

Background: Inhalant use co-occurs with emotional distress. Inhalant use may be a means of self-medicating distress, but more recent study focuses on the cognitive appraisal of personal benefits of using substances.

Objectives: Objectives were to determine whether emotional distress variables predict early versus later initiation of inhalant use, whether such relationships differ between American Indian and white youth, and whether perceived emotional benefits of inhalant use moderates the relationship between emotional distress and stage of inhalant initiation.

Rates of substance use of American Indian students in 8th, 10th, and 12th grades living on or near reservations: update, 2009-2012.

Objectives: Understanding the similarities and differences between substance use rates for American Indian (AI) young people and young people nationally can better inform prevention and treatment efforts. We compared substance use rates for a large sample of AI students living on or near reservations for the years 2009-2012 with national prevalence rates from Monitoring the Future (MTF).

Methods: We identified and sampled schools on or near AI reservations by region; 1,399 students in sampled schools were administered the American Drug and Alcohol Survey.

Predicting an Alcohol Use Disorder in Urban American Indian Youth.

This study examines predictors of alcohol use disorders (AUDs) among an urban American Indian cohort who were followed from approximately age 11 to age 20. Approximately 27% of the sample had a lifetime diagnosis of alcohol abuse or dependence. The results indicated that externalizing, but not internalizing, behaviors, family conflict, and school liking served as significant predictors of an AUD.

Regional differences in drug use rates among American Indian youth.

Background: Research over the past several decades has shown that, compared to other American ethnic and racial groups, American Indian (AI) youth use alcohol and other drugs at significantly higher rates than their non-AI peers. However, to date, much of the research on AI adolescent substance use has been limited in the types of data used.

Methods: We used a national sample of AI youth living on or near reservations to estimate how lifetime and 30-day use of four substances (alcohol, marijuana, inhalants, and methamphetamine) differ by gender, grade in school, and region of the country.

The effects of parental diagnosis and changing family norms on alcohol use and related problems among urban American Indian adolescents.

This study investigated the role of parental diagnosis of alcohol abuse/dependence and perceived family norms for adolescent drinking on alcohol use and alcohol-related problems among urban American Indian youth. A total of 251 urban, American Indian youth and their parents/caregivers were followed from ages 13 to 18. Perceived family norms against alcohol decreased and alcohol use increased from ages 13 to 18.

Rurality, region, ethnic community make-up and alcohol use among rural youth.

Purpose: As the most widely used substance among adolescents in the United States, alcohol remains a critical public health issue. The majority of research in this area has focused on individual-level variables. This study examined the contextual effects of rurality, geographic region, and community ethnicity in the prediction of alcohol use among adolescent youth.

Physical, social, and perceived availabilities of alcohol and last month alcohol use in rural and small urban communities.

This study seeks to provide a greater understanding of the factors that determine the perceived availability of alcohol and its role in predicting adolescents' alcohol use. Participants were 151,703 7th-12th grade students (50% female) from a sample of 219 rural communities across the United States, with oversampling for predominantly Mexican-American and African-American communities. Multilevel analysis was used to estimate the perceived availability of alcohol as a function of physical and social availability measures and individual and community-level control variables.

A comparison of American Indian and non-Indian fourth to sixth graders' rates of drug use.

Although there is a large body of literature examining adolescent drug use, little is known about drug use rates among younger children. This paper presents such information for both American Indian and non-Indian fourth to sixth grade students for "having gotten drunk," the "use of marijuana," the "use of inhalants," and the use of "other" drugs over a 10-year period. Generally, the rates of use for Indian youth are higher, with a particularly high rate of marijuana use.

Prevalence of dating violence and victimization: regional and gender differences.

This report examines (1) the prevalence of dating violence victimization from a national sample of rural adolescents and (2) patterns by gender and region. Analyses are based on 20,274 adolescents who reported violence victimization using the Community Drug and Alcohol Survey. The relationship of dating violence with gender and region was assessed with HLM5 using Bernoulli's logistic regression.

American Indian women, HIV/AIDS, and health disparity.

Data are presented regarding the prevalence of HIV/AIDS among American Indian women. Health disparities found among American Indians are discussed and biological, economic, social, and behavioral risk factors associated with HIV are detailed. Recommendations are suggested to alleviate the spread of HIV among American Indian women and, in the process, to diminish a culture of treatment malpractice and a weakening of treatment ethics, racism, and genderism.

Disparities in young adolescent inhalant use by rurality, gender, and ethnicity.

Inhalant use is of increasing concern as rates appear to be rising among young adolescents and gender differences narrowing. Data from 20,684 Mexican American and White non-Hispanic seventh- and eighth-grade males and females from the Western United States and 15,659 African American and White non-Hispanic seventh- and eighth-grade males and females from states in the southeastern United States collected via in-school surveys from 1996 to 2000 were analyzed using a variety of statistical techniques including multilevel modeling. Questions addressed in the study included: Does inhalant use vary by level of rurality? What effect does the ethnic composition of the community have on inhalant use and does this effect differ by an individual's ethnicity? Do males use more inhalants than females and does the level of use by males and females differ by individual ethnicity, ethnicity of the community, or level of rurality? Do males and females of different ethnicities initiate inhalant use at different ages? Limitations of the study and implications of findings for prevention are discussed and areas of future research are suggested.

Prevalence of American Indian adolescent tobacco use: 1993-2004.

Tobacco use rates for American Indian adolescents are examined and compared to rates for non-Indian youth. The data are taken from an ongoing surveillance project of substance use among Indian youth and the Monitoring the Future Project for the years 1993 to 2004. Sample sizes are in the range of 14,000 to 17,000 for non-Indian youth and 600 to 2400 for Indian youth.

Native Americans and alcohol: past, present, and future.

Native Americans have higher rates of alcohol use, frequency of use, and increased rates of fetal alcohol syndrome, compared with other ethnic groups (J. Hisnanick, 1992; P. A.

American Indians and alcohol.

The high prevalence of alcohol use and its consequences among American Indians may be attributed to a number of factors, including the influence of the European colonists who first made large amounts of alcohol available to Indians, as well as current social and cultural factors. Efforts to prevent and treat alcohol problems among the American Indian population may be more effective if native beliefs and approaches are incorporated. Alcohol problems also may be prevented through policies regulating the sale and use of alcohol in Indian communities.

Multidimensional self-esteem and alcohol use among Mexican American and White non-Latino adolescents: concurrent and prospective effects.

Self-esteem was evaluated among Mexican American and White non-Latino adolescents. Three dimensions of self-esteem-(a) self-confidence, (b) competence, and (c) social acceptance-were assessed for concurrent and longitudinal relationships to alcohol use. Various concurrent relationships were found between dimensions of self-esteem and alcohol use.

Risk-taking, attitudes toward aggression, and aggressive behavior among rural middle school youth.

This study examined the relationship between risk-taking, general acceptance of aggression (GAA), verbal harassment (VH), and aggressive behavior (AB) in the last 30 days among 1440 seventh- and eighth-grade rural middle school youth. Higher levels of risk-taking predicted higher GAA and VH. Significant interactions for AB indicated that, excepting Black youth, higher risk-taking was related to higher levels of violent behavior.

The Circles of Care evaluation: doing participatory evaluation with American Indian and Alaska Native communities.

Little information exists regarding mental health and special needs related to American Indian and Alaska Native (AI-AN) families. In this paper we emphasize the use of oral tradition during the Circles of Care initiative, which was essential in understanding cultural history and historical trauma of AI-ANs while giving a greater understanding of an AI-AN-based definition of severe emotional disturbance (SED). The success of these methods serves as a template for improving systems of care and may be useful in evaluation among a wide range of ethnic communities.

Surveillance of drug use among American Indian adolescents: patterns over 25 years.

Purpose: To examine the trends in drug use among American Indian adolescents attending schools on, or near, Indian reservations in the United States, to provide comparisons with non-Indian youth, and to discuss implications for prevention.

Methods: Reliable and valid school administered drug use surveys have been given every year for 25 years (1975-2000) to representative samples of Indian youth living on reservations, yielding a continuous record of trends in drug use. Comparisons are made with non-Indian youth with data from the Monitoring the Future project.

Individual and school level effects of perceived harm, perceived availability, and community size on marijuana use among 12th-grade students: a random effects model.

A hierarchical linear model was used to estimate the individual and school level effects for marijuana use among a national sample of 12th-grade students. School effects were small in comparison to individual level effects, accounting for 2.9% of the variance in marijuana use.

Community readiness: the journey to community healing.

Community readiness is a research-based theory that provides a basic understanding of the intervention process in communities. This theory allows us to accurately describe the developmental level of a community relative to a specific issue or problem. In order to move the community toward implementing and maintaining efforts that are effective and sustainable, community mobilization must be based on involvement of multiple systems and utilization of within-community resources and strengths.

Anger, aggression, risky behavior, and crash-related outcomes in three groups of drivers.

High anger drivers who acknowledged problems with driving anger and were interested in treatment were compared to high and low anger drivers who did not acknowledge problems with driving anger or want treatment. Although high anger drivers who acknowledged problems reported greater anger on two measures than high anger drivers who did not acknowledge problems, both high anger groups tended not to differ from one another and were more frequently and intensely angered when driving, reported more aggressive and less adaptive/constructive forms of expressing anger while driving, engaged in more aggressive and risky behavior on the road, and experienced more of some accident-related outcomes than low anger drivers. High anger groups did not differ from each other, but reported more trait anxiety and anger and more outward negative and less controlled general anger expression than the low anger group.

Variances in the etiology of drug use among ethnic groups of adolescents.

Objective: This article reviews drug use trends among ethnic groups of adolescents. It identifies similarities and differences in general, and culturally specific variables in particular, that may account for the differences in drug use rates and the consequences of drug use.

Methods: The authors review trends in drug use among minority and nonminority adolescents over the past 25 years and propose an explanatory model for understanding the factors that affect adolescent drug use.