RESUMEN
OBJECTIVE: This study examined whether developmental sequences and stages of substance-use initiation and regular use differed and, if so, whether they varied for black and white adolescent males. METHOD: The analyses were based on a cohort of inner-city boys in the Pittsburgh public schools, who had been followed prospectively from ages 7 to 19 across 18 data waves (N = 412). RESULTS: Blacks were most likely to end initiation of any use and regular use with marijuana, whereas alcohol and tobacco were the most common end stage drugs for whites. Whites were also more likely than blacks to initiate and to become regular users of hard drugs. For both races, the typical developmental sequence for substance-use initiation and regular use was alcohol and/or tobacco, then marijuana, and then hard drugs. However, blacks were more likely to deviate from this sequence than were whites. Participants who initiated any substance use faced a high probability of becoming a regular user of at least one substance. CONCLUSIONS: There were differences in the sequences and stages of substance-use initiation and regular use by race. Further research is needed to identify the antecedents of escalation to regular use and progression of regular use across substances and to delineate the cultural and environmental factors that affect substance-use progression.
Asunto(s)
Población Negra/estadística & datos numéricos , Trastornos Relacionados con Sustancias/etnología , Población Urbana/estadística & datos numéricos , Población Blanca/estadística & datos numéricos , Adolescente , Alcoholismo/epidemiología , Alcoholismo/etnología , Alcoholismo/psicología , Niño , Estudios de Cohortes , Comparación Transcultural , Humanos , Drogas Ilícitas , Estudios Longitudinales , Masculino , Abuso de Marihuana/epidemiología , Abuso de Marihuana/etnología , Abuso de Marihuana/psicología , Pennsylvania , Estudios Prospectivos , Factores de Riesgo , Fumar/epidemiología , Fumar/etnología , Fumar/psicología , Medio Social , Trastornos Relacionados con Sustancias/epidemiología , Trastornos Relacionados con Sustancias/psicologíaRESUMEN
Significant ethnic differences have been consistently documented on attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) teacher rating scales. Whether these ethnic differences result from a teacher rating bias or reflect actual classroom behavior patterns is unknown. Ethnic differences between Caucasian and African American (AA) elementary schoolchildren on teacher ratings and codings of observed classroom behavior were examined with latent variables. In structural equation models, correlations between teacher ratings and observed classroom behavior suggested nonbiased teacher ratings of AA schoolchildren with diagnosed ADHD. Ethnic differences were documented for both teacher ratings of ADHD and classroom behavior. Differences in classroom behavior were attenuated when the behavior of an average child in the classroom was taken into account. Multiple explanations for this pattern of results are discussed.