Citation
Vaughan, Ellen L.; Martinez, Sylvia; Escobar, Oscar S.; & Denton, Lisa K. (2016). School Factors and Alcohol Use: The Moderating Effect of Nativity in a National Sample of Latino Adolescents. Substance Use and Misuse. vol. 51 (6) pp. 742-751Abstract
BACKGROUND: School is an important developmental context for adolescents and may be related to adolescent alcohol use. Less is known as to whether the relationships between school factors and alcohol use differ between Latino youth born outside of the United States versus those born in the United States. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study is to test nativity as a moderator of the relationship between school factors and alcohol use among Latino adolescents. METHODS: This study used data from Waves I and II of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health) to test nativity as a moderator of the relationship between school factors and alcohol use in a subsample of Latino adolescents. RESULTS: Results found that during adolescence, nativity moderates the relationship between school connectedness and Wave I alcohol use. For those born outside of the United States, school connectedness was not related to alcohol use. Significant main effects emerged for grades in school and truancy. Better grades were associated with less alcohol use, while truancy was associated with greater alcohol use. The longitudinal relationships between school factors and Wave II alcohol use were not statistically significant. CONCLUSIONS: School connectedness is a contemporaneous risk factor for alcohol use among those born in the United States. Prevention efforts that address school contextual factors may be important for all Latino students to reduce engagement in alcohol use and optimize well-being.URL
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27070949Keyword(s)
Adolescents Hispanic/Latino alcohol use nativity school connectedness truancyNotes
1532-2491 Vaughan, Ellen L Martinez, Sylvia Escobar, Oscar S Denton, Lisa K Journal article Subst Use Misuse. 2016 Apr 12:1-10.Reference Type
Journal ArticleJournal Title
Substance Use and MisuseAuthor(s)
Vaughan, Ellen L.Martinez, Sylvia
Escobar, Oscar S.
Denton, Lisa K.