U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government, Department of Justice.

NCJRS Virtual Library

The Virtual Library houses over 235,000 criminal justice resources, including all known OJP works.
Click here to search the NCJRS Virtual Library

Influence of an Africentric Worldview and Demographic Variables on Drug Knowledge, Attitudes, and Use Among African American Youth

NCJ Number
174428
Journal
Journal of Community Psychology Volume: 25 Issue: 5 Dated: September 1997 Pages: 421-433
Author(s)
F Z Belgrave; T G Townsend; V R Cherry; D M Cunningham
Date Published
1997
Length
13 pages
Annotation
Because alcohol, tobacco, and other drug use is associated with major problems in inner cities, especially for black youth, and Africentric values may be a protective factor in negative drug outcomes, this study was conducted to examine the influence of Africentric values, spirituality, and demographic variables on drug knowledge, attitudes, and use.
Abstract
Study participants included 189 4th and 5th graders attending public schools in Washington, D.C., and Baltimore, Maryland. Data on measures of Africentric values (collective work/responsibility, cooperative economics, and self- determination), spirituality, age, and whether the child resided in a one- or two-parent household were obtained. Results of regression analyses indicated collective work/responsibility and cooperative economics were significant predictors of attitudes toward drugs. Collective work/responsibility and spirituality were significant predictors of perceived drug harmfulness, while age and spirituality were significant predictors of drug use. Age was the only significant predictor of drug knowledge. Collective work/responsibility was the strongest predictor of drug outcomes. Implications of the findings for using Africentric drug prevention approaches to decrease risk factors and to increase protective factors for drug use among black youth are discussed. 18 references and 4 tables