Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2007;6(2):115-41.
doi: 10.1300/J233v06n02_08.

Substance abuse prevalence and treatment among Latinos and Latinas

Josefina Alvarez  1 , Leonard A Jason, Bradley D Olson, Joseph R Ferrari, Margaret I Davis
Affiliations
Review

Substance abuse prevalence and treatment among Latinos and Latinas

Josefina Alvarez et al. J Ethn Subst Abuse. 2007.

Abstract

Substance abuse prevalence rates for Latinos/as generally mirror those of the general U.S. population; however, a number of indicators of assimilation to U.S. culture as well as sociodemographic variables predict substance use and abuse among this group. Latinos/as have poorer outcomes in substance abuse treatment programs. Yet there is little empirical evidence that explains the problems these individuals experience in treatment, and there are few studies on the use and effectiveness of mutual help groups among this population. New developments in the conceptualization and measurement of acculturation will lead to a greater understanding of the role of culture in the prevalence and treatment of substance-related problems.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Abraido-Lanza AF, Chao MT, Flores KR. Do healthy behaviors decline with greater acculturation? Implications for the Latino mortality paradox. Social Science & Medicine. 2005;61:1243–1255. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Agosti V, Nunes E, Ocepeck-Welikson K. Patient factors related to early attrition from outpatient cocaine research. American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse. 1996;22:29–41. - PubMed
    1. Alegria M, Vera M, Shrout P, Canino G, Lai S, Albizu C, Marin H, Pena M, Rusch D. Understanding hard-core drug use among urban Puerto Rican women in high-risk neighborhoods. Addictive Behaviors. 2004;29:643–664. - PubMed
    1. Alvarez J, Olson BD, Jason LA, Davis MI, Ferrari JR. Heterogeneity among Latinos and Latinas entering substance abuse treatment: Findings from a national database. Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment. 2004;26:277–284. - PubMed
    1. Alvarez J, Jason LA, Davis MI, Ferrari JR, Olson BD. Latinos and Latinas in Oxford House: Perceptions of barriers and opportunities. Journal of Ethnicity in Substance Abuse. 2004;13:17–32.

Publication types