Culture and Substance Use Among Adolescents

¶ … Culture on Substance Use Among Adolescents

Cultural values do have a significant impact on most adolescents' attitudes towards drug abuse. It should be noted that what is regarded "illicit" varies from culture to culture. In that regard, therefore, one social group could be appreciative and encourage the use of a substance that is considered illicit in another cultural setting or social grouping. This text concerns itself with the influence culture has on substance use among adolescents. In so doing, it will, amongst other things, highlight the various dimensions of culture that have an impact on adolescent treatment and prevention of substance use disorders, and focus on the kinds of cultural groups that adolescents could belong to that have some influence on their behavior and attitudes towards substance abuse and attitudes.

Discussion

The relevance of culture when it comes to the formation of an individual's expectations on the negative impact of substance abuse cannot be overstated. In some cultures, for instance, alcohol use is heavily regulated -- this could be viewed as a protective factor. This was the case with the ancient Aztecs where alcohol was allowed, but only during ceremonies (Abbott and Trujillo, 1996). The use of alcohol in any other setting was, therefore, not tolerated -- those who went against this guideline received heavy penalties, including death. Cultural groups that heavily regulate drug use and punish those who choose to contravene rules on substance abuse may positively shape an adolescent's attitude towards substance abuse. This is what could be referred to as protective normative behavior.

It is also important to note that swift social change could also act as a facilitator to excessive substance use. For this to happen, however, the cultural groups experiencing rapid social change should have minimal exposure to substance abuse; meaning that they have in place very weak or no structures to protect against substance abuse. In essence, native populations could lose their cultural identity as a result of exposure to unhealthy cultural or ethnic identities. It is the unexpected influx of influence from the outside world that ends up devastating native populations leading, perhaps, to a change in attitudes and behaviors amongst adolescents with regard to drug abuse. This, which has in some quarters been referred to as Anomie (i.e. an instance where populations loose their cultural identities), clearly indicates how movement from one culture to the next could impact substance use.

Immigrants who move to a new country from their home countries leave behind protective habitats or domains and have to confront new sets of cultural values as well as norms (Robin et al., 2004). A practical example would be relevant: Hispanics moving to the U.S. routinely assume the dominant setting's behaviors and ways of doing things. Studies done in the past have established that Hispanics (including, but not limited to Puerto Ricans and Cuban Americans) often embrace the dominant society's, in this case the U.S., drinking behaviors -- leading to increased alcohol intake (Abbott and Trujillo, 1996). On this front, acculturated Hispanics are more likely to accelerate their alcohol abuse once they leave their home countries' protective environments and adopt new values and norms in countries that lack clear guidelines and prohibitions regarding substance abuse. Familism, which has got to do with "strong identification with and attachment to ... nuclear and extended families, and strong feelings of loyalty, reciprocity, and solidarity among members of the same family" (Marin and Marin, 1991, p. 13) has been identified as a rather strong protective factor as far as substance use is concerned. Familism is a key Hispanic culture dimension

There is also the issue of acculturation. This could, in simple terms, be defined as the extent to which a person connects or relates to his or her culture. This could have an impact on adolescents' attitudes as well as behavior towards substance abuse. As Marin and Marin (1991) points out, loss of traditional culture has a correlation with substance abuse problems. For instance, according to Robin et al., (2004), individuals with loose links to Native American values report higher rates of substance abuse. On the other hand, bicultural persons, as the author further points out, have significantly lower rates of substance abuse. The latter identify with both non-Native American and Native American cultural values.