Cultural values of Puerto Rican opiate addicts: an exploratory study

In this exploratory study, the authors first observed that Puerto Rican addicts seemed to present with values that differentiate them from their Black and White counterparts and followed up initial observations by defining and rating six cultural themes as displayed in response to a sentence completion task. Statements referring to four of these themes (the importance of the mother, machismo, the obligation to the family, and the need for respect) were made more often by a sample of Puerto Rican addicts when compared with Black and White control subjects. The clinical importance of recognizing the unique values of addicts from differing cultural groups is discussed.