PSYCHOSOCIAL CORRELATES OF DRUG-USE AMONG PUERTO-RICAN YOUTH - GENERATIONAL STATUS DIFFERENCES

This study investigates the role of several social psychological varia bles which could help explain the process by which Puerto Rican adoles cents become vulnerable to drug use involvement with exposure to a hos t society, New York City, where the prevalence of drug use is higher t han in the society of origin, Puerto Rico. To study how acculturation affects the psychosocial factors associated with adolescent drug use, four generational status groups of Puerto Rican students living in two settings-New York City and San Juan, Puerto Rico-were surveyed: New Y ork Ricans (New York City-born Puerto Ricans); New York migrants (isla nd-born Puerto Ricans living in New York); Puerto Rican islanders (ado lescents who had never lived outside of Puerto Rico); and Puerto Rican immigrants (New York City-born youngsters of Puerto Rican parentage w hose families had returned to live on the Island). A theoretical model developed to explain adolescent problem behavior, which posits a cont inuum of antecedent, intrapersonal, interpersonal and perceived enviro nment dimensions theoretically conducive to adolescent drug use, guide d the analysis. Analysis of variance was used to test for generational status group differences in each of the psychosocial risk factors. Th e relationship between generational status, the intervening psychosoci al variables, and drug use were explored through multiple regression a nalyses. The data showed that Puerto Rican youth's generational status was systematically related to differences in the occurrences of the s ocial psychological risk factors for adolescent drug use involvement. With greater exposure to the New York City environment, Puerto Rican y oungsters were more likely to report problems in parental socializatio n, personal control and perceived environment domains. Each of the psy chosocial characteristics was associated with the students' drug use i nvolvement, and these relationships were conditioned by generational s tatus. New York Ricans exhibited the greatest susceptibility to drug u se involvement in the presence of weakening of parental controls, incr eased tolerance of deviance and drug use, increased unconventionality with respect to school and church, and peer use of legal and illegal d rugs. Sociodemographic and psychosocial variables together explained 4 7% of the variance in the drug use involvement of Puerto Rican adolesc ents.