M. Barrera et al., ETHNIC-GROUP DIFFERENCES IN VULNERABILITY TO PARENTAL ALCOHOLISM AND LIFE STRESS - A STUDY OF HISPANIC AND NON-HISPANIC CAUCASIAN ADOLESCENTS, American journal of community psychology, 21(1), 1993, pp. 15-35
Tested Hispanic and Caucasian adolescents' vulnerability to parental a
lcoholism and life stress. Sixty-nine Hispanic and 237 Caucasian adole
scents completed measures of life stress, social support, and alcohol
use. Their parents reported on the adolescents' psychological symptoms
and their own alcohol and substance use. Parental alcoholism and life
stress were related to almost all indicators of adolescents' psycholo
gical distress and alcohol use. In addition, results showed some evide
nce that Caucasian adolescents were more vulnerable to the effects of
life stress and parental alcoholism than Hispanics. Neither social sup
port nor the higher substance use of Caucasian parents provided a good
explanation for this differential vulnerability.