Journal article
Long-Term Patterns of Drug Use Among an Urban African-American Cohort: The Role of Gender and Family
Journal of urban health, Vol.85(2), pp.250-267
03/2008
DOI: 10.1007/s11524-007-9246-7
PMCID: PMC2430124
PMID: 18247122
Abstract
Cross-sectional analyses and the little existing longitudinal analyses on substance use over the life course have been integral in providing information about the epidemiology of substance use in the United States. However, it is unclear whether these estimates provide an accurate portrayal of long-term substance use patterns among African-American men and women who have grown up in an inner city environment. The current study uses longitudinal data from a community cohort of African-American inner-city males and females followed from first grade through mid-adulthood. It identifies the substance use patterns through mid-adulthood, including lifetime prevalence, age of onset and termination, and sequencing of substance classes, as well as the risk of initiation of substance use changes over the life course using survival analysis. It also investigates whether early family structure and process play a role in drug use initiation throughout the life course, and whether the relationship between family factors and drug initiation differs by gender. Overall, among the general trends of use, we find a considerable amount of abstention with over 40% of the participants never using illegal drugs by mid-adulthood, over 70% never using cocaine, and over 90% never using heroin. With respect to onset, we find a long-term influence of early family factors on substance use, particularly for females. Family discipline in childhood and family cohesion and parental rule setting during adolescence seem to be key factors in predicting later substance use for females. The implications of these findings for future research and policy are discussed.
Details
- Title: Subtitle
- Long-Term Patterns of Drug Use Among an Urban African-American Cohort: The Role of Gender and Family
- Creators
- Elaine Eggleston Doherty - Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice, University of Maryland, 2220 LeFrak Hall, College Park, MD 20742 USAKerry M Green - Department of Public and Community Health, University of Maryland College Park School of Public Health, 2375 HHP Building, Valley Drive, College Park, MD 20742 USAHeather Schacht Reisinger - Center for Research in the Implementation of Innovative Strategies in Practice, Iowa City VA Medical Center, Iowa City, IA 52246 USAMargaret E Ensminger - Department of Health, Behavior and Society, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, 624 N. Broadway, 7th Floor, Baltimore, MD 21205 USA
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Publication Details
- Journal of urban health, Vol.85(2), pp.250-267
- Publisher
- Springer US
- DOI
- 10.1007/s11524-007-9246-7
- PMID
- 18247122
- PMCID
- PMC2430124
- ISSN
- 1099-3460
- eISSN
- 1468-2869
- Language
- English
- Date published
- 03/2008
- Academic Unit
- Center for Social Science Innovation; Internal Medicine
- Record Identifier
- 9984094540002771
Metrics
11 Record Views