A Cultural Psychology Approach to "Drug Abuse" Prevention

• Published in: Substance use & misuse Vol. 39; no. 10-12; pp. 1779 - 1820
• Main Authors: Unger, Jennifer B, Baezconde-Garbanati, Lourdes, Shakib, Sohaila, Palmer, Paula H, Nezami, Elahe, Mora, Juana
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: 01-01-2004
• Subjects: Acculturation; Adolescents; Culture; Drug Abuse; Immigration; Interdisciplinary Approach; Prevention; Sociocultural Factors; Sociodemographic Factors; United States of America
• ISSN: 1082-6084
• DOI: 10.1081/LSUM-200033224

Much research on the etiology of adolescent drug use has focused on posited risk & protective factors at the level of the individual or small group. However, those proximal influences exist within a cultural context that also influences drug use. To prevent drug use in the diverse population of the US, research is needed on the influence of the cultural context on adolescent drug use, including the effects of immigrating from one cultural or sociodemographic context to another, as well as the effects of living within two different cultural systems simultaneously. Theoretical models & research methods from cultural psychology & cultural sociology are well-suited to examine the cultural context of drug use. We examine causal mechanisms by which acculturation might affect drug use by using two paradigms to conceptualize culture: a stress/coping paradigm & a cultural values paradigm. Implications of cultural risk & protective factors for transdisciplinary research on drug abuse prevention are also discussed. 1 Table, 4 Figures, 123 References. Adapted from the source document.