RACE AND ETHNIC-DIFFERENCES IN ADOLESCENT DRUG-USE - THE IMPACT OF FAMILY-STRUCTURE AND THE QUANTITY AND QUALITY OF PARENTAL INTERACTION

Curbing adolescent substance abuse is a national priority in the Unite d States. To effectively allocate resources if is imperative that ante cedents and correlates of drug use across diverse populations be under stood. Racial and ethnic differences in drug use have yet to be explai ned. Because family characteristics are known to vary across race/ethn ic groups, and prior research suggests a connection between family cha racteristics and adolescent drug use, this study investigates the impa ct of family on race/ethnic differences in drug use. Using data from a national household survey, we found that although socioeconomic and d emographic characteristics alone explained drug use differences betwee n Latinos and non-Latino whites, the differences between Black and whi te adolescents could nor be explained by either structural or function al differences in the family. Furthermore, it appears that the single- parent Black family provides a greater protection against drug use tha n does the two-biological-parent Black family. Our findings suggest th at the development of policy! based on a knowledge of correlates of su bstance use within the white community mag, be both inefficient and in effective when applied to minority communities.