Role of ethnicity and gender in polydrug use among a longitudinal sample of inner-city adolescents.

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Bibliographic Details
Title:	Role of ethnicity and gender in polydrug use among a longitudinal sample of inner-city adolescents.
Authors:	Epstein JA (AUTHOR), Botvin GJ (AUTHOR), Griffin KW (AUTHOR), Diaz T (AUTHOR)
Source:	Journal of Alcohol & Drug Education. Fall99, Vol. 45 Issue 1, p1-12. 12p.
Subjects:	Teenagers, Cross-cultural studies, Drug abuse, Sex differences (Biology)
Abstract:	The purpose of this study was to determine if ethnic and gender differences in polydrug use exist among a cohort of inner-city adolescents during the three-year middle school period. Students in 22 urban schools completed self-report questionnaires with measures of drug use (smoking, drinking, and marijuana use) at three annual assessments. For participating students, (N=2354), analyses of variance were conducted to test for ethnic group (Asian, Black, Hispanic, White) and gender differences in polydrug use. Ethnic differences were found for polydrug use measures at each assessments point. Asian and Black adolescents generally reported less polydrug use than White and Hispanic youth. When gender differences were evident, boys engaged in more use than girls. The relatively high rates of polydrug use indicate that prevention intervention programs that target multiple substances may be more efficient in reducing overall risk than prevention programs that focus on a single substance (e.g., smoking prevention only). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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Database:	Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection

Description
Abstract:	The purpose of this study was to determine if ethnic and gender differences in polydrug use exist among a cohort of inner-city adolescents during the three-year middle school period. Students in 22 urban schools completed self-report questionnaires with measures of drug use (smoking, drinking, and marijuana use) at three annual assessments. For participating students, (N=2354), analyses of variance were conducted to test for ethnic group (Asian, Black, Hispanic, White) and gender differences in polydrug use. Ethnic differences were found for polydrug use measures at each assessments point. Asian and Black adolescents generally reported less polydrug use than White and Hispanic youth. When gender differences were evident, boys engaged in more use than girls. The relatively high rates of polydrug use indicate that prevention intervention programs that target multiple substances may be more efficient in reducing overall risk than prevention programs that focus on a single substance (e.g., smoking prevention only). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
ISSN:	00901482