Ethnicity and the course of opiate addiction: Native-born Americans vs. Hmong in Minnesota
Author(s):
Westermeyer, Joseph; Chitasombat, Panupong
Format:
Journal article
Citation:
American Journal On Addictions, Volume 5, Issue 3 (1996). pp. 231-240.
Language:
English
Abstract:
Studied the demographic and psychosocial correlates of opiate dependence among 2 ethnic groups in Minnesota. Ss were 57 Hmong (Laotian) immigrants, who used opium exclusively by smoking, and 80 native-born Americans, who used heroin by injection. Ethnic peers interviewed Ss in their native language, using the modified Michigan Alcohol-Drug Screening Test, the Beck Depression Inventory, and the 90-item Symptom Checklist. American Ss were more likely to be employed, had more education, a younger age at onset of opiate use, higher addiction scores, more legal problems, spent about 50 times more money per day on drugs, had used more treatment, and more self-help methods. Hmong Ss were more likely to be men, married and living with family, had longer periods of abstinence, and more of certain psychological symptoms. Differences were related to culture, type of opiate, and immigrant/refugee status. Similarities (e.g., types and severity of certain drug-related problems, family history of substance abuse) suggested that certain core features of opiate dependence persist despite differences in ethnicity and type of opiate used. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)