Ethnic differences in the predictors of drug and alcohol abuse in hospitalized adolescents

This study examined psychosocial correlates of drug and alcohol abuse in hospitalized adolescents and the extent to which these associations may be affected by ethnicity. Four hundred fifty- eight psychiatric inpatients, ages 12 - 19, completed measures of psychological functioning, environmental stress, drug abuse, and alcohol abuse. Multiple regression analyses examined the joint and independent predictors of drug and alcohol abuse for European Americans, Latino Americans, and African Americans separately. Seven variables - age, depression, impulsivity, low self- esteem, delinquent predisposition, low peer insecurity, and history of child abuse - jointly predicted drug abuse for all groups, and predicted alcohol abuse for European Americans and Latino Americans. However, several differences were noted with respect to which variables made independent contributions to the model. Such differences may reflect distinct risk factors for drug and alcohol abuse in these three ethnic groups and may also have implications for prevention and treatment programs.