THE INFLUENCE OF AN AFRICENTRIC WORLDVIEW AND DEMOGRAPHIC-VARIABLES ON DRUG KNOWLEDGE, ATTITUDES, AND USE AMONG AFRICAN-AMERICAN YOUTH

Alcohol, tobacco, and other drug use are major problems in the inner c ities, especially for African American youth. Africentric values may b e a protective factor for negative drug outcomes. The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of Africentric values, spirituality , and demographic variables on drug knowledge, attitudes, and use. Par ticipants were 189 4th- and 5th-graders attending public schools in Wa shington, DC, and Baltimore, Maryland. Measures of Africentric values (i.e., Collective Work/Responsibility, Cooperative Economics, and Self -Determination), spirituality, age, and whether or not the child resid ed in a two-or one-parent household were obtained. The results of regr ession analyses indicated that Collective Work/Responsibility and Coop erative Economics were significant predictors of attitudes toward drug s. Collective Work/Responsibility and spirituality were significant pr edictors of perceived drug harmfulness. Age and spirituality were sign ificant predictors of drug usage. Age was the only significant predict or of drug knowledge. The Collective Work/Responsibility subscale was the strongest predictor of drug outcomes. The implications for using A fricentric prevention approaches for decreasing risk factors and incre asing protective factors for drug use among African American youth are discussed. (C) 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.