Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health
Volume 9, Issue 2, 2007, Pages 85-94

Sexual behavior and drug use among Asian and Latino adolescents: Association with immigrant status (Article)

Hussey J.M.* , Hallfors D.D. , Waller M.W. , Iritani B.J. , Halpern C.T. , Bauer D.J.
  • a Department of Maternal and Child Health, School of Public Health, and Carolina Population Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, United States
  • b Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation, Chapel Hill, NC, United States
  • c Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation, Chapel Hill, NC, United States
  • d Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation, Chapel Hill, NC, United States
  • e Department of Maternal and Child Health, School of Public Health, and Carolina Population Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, United States
  • f Department of Psychology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, United States

Abstract

This paper contributes new evidence on the association between immigrant status and health by describing and attempting to explain patterns of co-occurring sex and drug use behaviors among Asian and Latino adolescents in the United States. Nine patterns of sex and drug use behaviors were identified from a cluster analysis of data from 3,924 Asian and Latino youth (grades 7-12) who participated in the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health). The relationship between immigrant status and risk cluster membership was evaluated with multinomial logistic regression. Compared to foreign-born youth, U.S. born Asian and Latino adolescents were more likely to engage in sex and drug risk behaviors. Family and residential characteristics associated with immigrant status partly accounted for this finding. The results indicate that among Asian and Latino adolescents, assimilation to U.S. risk behavior norms occurs rapidly and is evident by the second generation. © Springer Science+Business Media, LLC 2006.

Author Keywords

immigrants United States Substance use Acculturation Sexual behavior

Index Keywords

immigrant Asian sexual behavior demography human controlled study priority journal Substance-Related Disorders family size Hispanic Americans United States cluster analysis Humans Hispanic Adolescent Asian Americans male Acculturation female Article high risk behavior major clinical study adult drug abuse Juvenile Delinquency Interviews Emigration and Immigration
Link
https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-33846088321&doi=10.1007%2fs10903-006-9020-z&partnerID=40&md5=958480c73191e6dc4e97d8813c9d627c
DOI: 10.1007/s10903-006-9020-z
ISSN: 15571912
Cited by: 64
Original Language: English