Risk factors for substance use: ethnic differences among adolescents

Risk factors for drug and alcohol use and abuse were studied among Hispanic, black, Asian, and white adolescents. The number of risk factors was a significant correlate of prevalence and heavy use among all adolescents, though the effects were stronger for some drug/ethnic group combinations. For example, the association between the number of risk factors and frequency of hard drug use was substantially smaller for blacks, compared to the other three ethnic groups. Risk factors were causal influences for increasing drug use, while controlling for initial level of use, among Hispanics and whites. However, these effects for blacks and Asians were in the same direction but not significant and were not significantly different from Hispanics and whites. Implications for prevention and intervention are discussed.