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Alcohol Use and Abuse Among Latinos: Issues and Examples of Culturally Competent Services

NCJ Number
173722
Journal
Alcoholism Treatment Quarterly Volume: 16 Issue: 1/2 Dated: 1998 Pages: 55-70
Author(s)
S Rodriguez-Andrew
Date Published
1998
Length
16 pages
Annotation
The impact of alcohol use and alcohol abuse among Hispanic persons is examined, with emphasis on barriers to improving understanding of this issue and examples of culturally competent approaches to better research and services for this population.
Abstract
Hispanics now amount to 9 percent of the population and include groups with wide intercultural and intracultural differences. Alcohol use also varies among various Hispanic subgroups. The research on alcohol abuse among Hispanics points has several limitations, including the lack of specificity in identifying the populations and reliance on atypical samples; variation in defining alcohol use, particularly abstention; acculturation; polydrug abuse; age; and gender. These limitations have important implications for alcohol abuse prevention and treatment services. Professionals who are planning prevention programs need to understand the conflicts that Hispanic youth experience with respect to ethnic identity, biculturality, Spanish language fluency, gender-specific role expectations, skin color, family history of alcoholism, and overall sense of self. Culturally sensitive services recognize family strengths; validate cultural strengths; and are provided in the social contact of the realities families experience, including poverty, service gaps, institutional bureaucracy, and discrimination. Alcohol prevention services need to be tailored to the target population and must consider gender, age, and acculturation factors, as well as the setting in which the services are provided. 51 references (Author abstract modified)

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