Differences in Adolescent Substance Use by Hispanic Subgroup: What We Know and What We Need to Find out

Differences in health outcomes on the basis of racial and/or ethnic group membership have been documented among Hispanics in the US. As this heterogeneous population continues to grow, so does the importance of understanding the subgroups within it and the possible effect that between-group variations may have on health outcomes. This article highlights a major limitation of the existing research: that the Hispanic population is almost exclusively lumped into one pan-ethnic category when examining substance use behaviors. However, there is evidence to suggest that differences in substance use behaviors exist between Hispanic subgroups, which may be important when designing prevention and intervention programs. While the majority of research in this arena has focused on adults, more research is required to understand subgroup differences in substance use behaviors among Hispanic youth. This article provides a synopsis of the research on U.S. Hispanic substance use behaviors, including how factors such as acculturation, nativity, and culture of origin can act as risk and protective factors. However, there is an insufficient amount of research looking at how the differences between Hispanic subgroups may interact with acculturation levels to increase or decrease risk factors associated with substance use. Therefore, the authors suggest that substance use researchers attempt to improve future study designs by asking standardized demographic questions of national origin and/or ethnic/subgroup identity and take this into account in their analyses. The collection of such specific data could then be used to develop more targeted prevention and intervention programs.