This book details an exploratory research study that was conducted to examine the associations between acculturation, stress, alcohol consumption and other variables in a sample of 100 Puerto Rican alcohol users residing in the state of Massachusetts. The study relied on a cross sectional survey and a non probability sample. The data collected included acculturation scores, acculturation stress scores, data on the use of alcohol and other drugs, and demographic information. Comparisons were made among sample subjects based on gender, place of birth, acculturation levels, and educational levels. No statistically significant differences were found among subjects in the low, partial and high acculturation categories in terms of their levels of acculturative stress, or their frequency and amount of alcohol consumption. Significant associations were found, however, between stress and alcohol and illegal drug use. Findings suggest that the associations between alcohol/drug use and stress were significantly stronger among female and United States-born subjects. Study findings also suggest differences between Puerto Rican and other Latino alcohol users in the United States. hypotheses. For this reason, after exploring the associations between a number of variables, the book concludes by providing research ideas and by recommending 12 hypotheses to be tested in future research. A highly relevant and valuable contribution to the understanding of alcohol abuse among Puerto Ricans in the United States... Every effort must be made to ensure that the findings of studies like this are properly disseminated.

Find remarkable prevention and treatment strategies for preschool-age children of substance abusers in this informative volume. It provides an overview of the various problems exposure to substance abuse can cause for preschool children. Because of the strong influences parents have on their children, early childhood is a critical time for intervention to counteract the damaging effects of alcohol and drug abusing parents. Research shows that attitudes about alcohol and other drugs are already formed by junior high school level, and senior high school is too late for significant attitude change. Preschoolers and Substance Abuse promotes preschool age as the ideal time to apply strategies that will aid the family in building the self-esteem, trust, autonomy, and initiative necessary to protect the child from further problems caused by addictive parents. Intervention strategies are presented in a succinct manner, making them easy for practitioners, health officials, government officials, and family members to put into immediate practice. This book offers a unique approach to substance abuse, treating it as a community and societal problem rather than an individual problem. Intervention and treatment strategies are geared toward the substance abuse problem itself as well as how it impacts children and family systems. The harmful impact of alcohol or drug abusive parents is evaluated for all stages of childhood development, from pre-natal influences through infancy and the preschool years. Some of the harmful results of alcohol and drug abuse affecting preschool children addressed in this volume include violence, sexual abuse, Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, and intra-uterine exposure to drugs. The authors outline a comprehensive list of imperatives for a future agenda to protect preschool children from suffering the consequences of their parents’substance abuse. Public health officials, decision makers, practitioners, and legislators will find a series of policy recommendations including increased research, substance abuse training for child care workers, increased outreach and education for expectant mothers, and community-based outreach programs to insure ethnic or socioeconomic sensitivity and appropriateness.

Alcohol problems among Native Americans are severe and widespread. Statistics report that the rate of alcohol-related deaths is about eight times greater for Native Americans than for the U.S. population as a whole. This bibliography identifies the problems of alcoholism and alcohol abuse among Native American youth as a severe mental and physical health issue that deserves closer study, and it brings together in one volume most of what is known about the subject to date. The increasing amount of research that has appeared in recent years has created the need for a comprehensive reference focusing not only on anthropological and sociological concerns, but on questions more specifically relevant to Native Americans, such as child abuse and neglect, foster homes, school problems, dropouts, peer relation effects, family modeling response, fetal alcohol syndrome, developmental factors, and, most importantly, social deprivation. The authors maintain that the emerging literature on Native American youth's alcoholism is multidisciplinary in nature, suggesting that the subject in general has taken on greater significance in the social framework of this country. Native American Youth and Alcohol makes a valuable contribution by emphasizing the current publications on Indian youth and alcohol in an accessible format that offers a broad spectrum of opinion and analysis. This timely work will be read by professionals in the human services field and by a variety of researchers, practitioners, and those who are currently engaged in health promotion and disease prevention activities.

This book introduces the reader to the scope and extent of minority underrepresentation in the health professions. Underrepresented minority groups include Afro-Americans, Hispanics and Native Americans. Drs. Lecca and Watts have cited a number of studies and papers describing trends in minority enrollment in health profession institutions. Among the areas which the authors focus on are the recruitment and admissions process which they note need intensive reexamination by higher education administrators and educators. They describe examples of academic enrichment and retention programs. They suggest that minority retention and the ultimate goal, increase in graduation, will only be achieved if financial and other forms of institutional and private/public support are forthcoming. The book concludes with some 'modest' recommendations.