Characteristics of drug use among Mexican-American students of lower Rio Grande Valley

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this study was to determine characteristics of drug use among self-reported Mexican-American drug users. More specifically, it was the purpose of this study to determine the relationship of drug use to: socioeconomic status, attitudes toward drugs, academic achievement, school attendance, participation in school related and non-school activities, and selected demographic factors. Procedure A sample of approximately 20 percent of the enrollment of eleven senior high schools and one junior high school in the Lower Rio Grande Valley region of Texas selected for the study. This resulted in 2,324 students, grades nine through twelve, being surveyed. A self-report, eighty-eight item survey instrument was used to obtain the information. Each item had a multiple choice response. The first 27 items of the instrument dealt with nine categories of drugs: marijuana, hallucinogens, opiates or cocaine, tobacco, alcohol, cough syrup, solvents, barbiturates, and stimulants. In addition to the drug use items, 61 items dealt with demographic, attitudinal, and factual variables. Administration of the instrument was conducted solely by the investigator and only the administrator and students were present during the testing. Students were assured their responses would be completely anonymous and were tested large groups to facilitate this feeling of anonymity. Administration of the instrument for all schools took place within a twelve-day period, during November 20 through December 10, 1973. ...