Substance use patterns of Latinas: commentary

Six papers were presented in the course of a 2-day symposium on the topic of Latinas and Substance Use. The individuals invited to present included established as well as evolving female investigators within the fields of indigenous peoples' psychology, sociology, and ethnography. Methodology used in the studies ranged from epidemiological telephone surveys to ethnographic observations. What made this conference unique and exciting in the first place was that a select group of female researchers, who have as the focus of their investigations substance use patterns in Latino populations, were gathered together for 2 days to listen, process, and discuss the Latina experience as it relates to her profile of substance use, abuse, and her response to substance use and abusing patterns within her family and community. Topics of investigations included depth of HIV knowledge among adolescent Latinas, prevalence of protective practices of Latinas when engaging in high-risk behaviors, and childhood experiences of Latinas who exhibit extremely deviant behaviors. All of the studies had as a primary background substance-using practices primarily related to alcohol use and abuse. In her literature review Canino states that alcohol consumption is multiply influenced or determined by the community's perception of this behavior, accessibility to the substance, physiological tolerance, demographic variables, and ethnic and subcultural group characteristics. The papers presented in one way or another substantiate and support this perspective. The present critique raises a number of questions about what may constitute culturally sensitive research methodology, the confounds in the interpretation of acculturation as a unitary concept, and the troubling issues and conflicts raised by what is perceived as an imperative to preserve cultural traditions.