Latino youth substance use in states with emerging immigrant communities

Abstract

While immigrants typically arrive in the U.S. in the hope of building a better life for themselves and their families, many encounter circumstances upon their arrival that make reaching such a goal difficult. The process of adapting to a culture that is different from that in the country of origin, or "acculturating," can be extremely stressful in general, with acculturative stressors varying by the contexts within which immigrants settle. Social structure characteristics of the geographic areas in which Latino families reside impact the nature, complexity, and magnitude of potential contextual stressors, including those related to cultural adaptation (Vega and Gil 1999), which in turn can have unique and profound effects for behavioral outcomes. In states that historically have been centers of Latino settlement, longer residence in the U.S. and greater acculturation have been linked to heightened risks for adolescent substance use initiation and abuse, and other deleterious health outcomes, such as depression (Gil et al. 2000). However, for the past several decades, a substantial number of Latino immigrants have settled outside of these states, and little has been written about the impact of acculturative and other contextual stressors on these new arrivals.