The findings of the study indicated that youth were part of large extended networks of families and that these networks became a defining characteristic of the rural communities in the study. These familial networks functioned as sources of risk and protection related to drug use for youth participants. The study advances theories of risk and resiliency in several important ways. First, family and community risk and resilience were viewed as interconnected constructs for rural Hawaiian youth, intensifying both risk and protection for these youth. Second, the study contributes to the theoretical relationship between culture and health outcomes, which have historically yielded mixed findings. Youth drug use was an issue of importance for rural communities in Hawaii. Using focus groups, this study examined factors related to risk and resiliency of rural Native Hawaiian youth on the Big Island of Hawaii. Participants described the influence of their biological and ascribed family members on decisions to use or avoid drugs. The level of interconnectedness and collectivism among family members described by youth participants had been described as a cultural characteristic of Asian and Pacific Americans, including Native Hawaiians. References