This document discusses drug abuse among African American adolescents. It provides statistics showing that while African American adolescents have slightly higher rates of illicit drug use than the general population, they are incarcerated for drug offenses at much higher rates. It then examines some of the risk factors for African American youth, including social/cultural factors, developmental challenges, and gender-specific considerations. Finally, it reviews some treatment and prevention approaches that have shown promise for this population, such as cognitive behavioral therapy, multidimensional family therapy, and culturally-focused programs incorporating Afrocentric beliefs and values.

1. DRUG ABUSE AMONG
AFRICAN AMERICAN
ADOLESCENTS
Group 8
Jacqueline Francis
Valeria Giovannini
Mihaela Stoian
Teresa Gancedo

2. INTRODUCTION
Adolescence is a time filled with many developmental milestones and
challenges. One of those challenges is whether or not to engage in drug or
alcohol use. The use and abuse of drugs varies across many spectrums such
as age, gender and race/ethnicity. In this presentation we take a look at the
risk factors that influence African American youths to travel down this path.

4. BACKGROUND OF THE POPULATION
Statistical Data and Significance

5. SUBSTANCE ABUSE AND
MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES
ADMINISTRATION (SAMHSA)
 In 2014 SAMHSA conducted a National Survey on Drug Use and Health in
the United States.
o Illegal drug use is 2% higher among the African American population than the rate
of illegal drug use of the population at large
o 27 million current illicit drug users over the age of 12 in the United States
o Roughly 10.2% of the population
o 1 in 10 individuals aged 12 or older in the United States used illicit drugs

6. NUMBER OF PAST MONTH ILLICIT DRUG USERS AMONG PEOPLE AGED 12 OR OLDER: 2014

8. African American
Population
The rate of illegal drug use among
African Americans ages 12 and up in
2014 was 12.4%, compared to the
national average of 10.2%

9. Adolescent Population
Of the 27 million users, 2.3 million
were adolescents aged 12-17 which
represented 9.4% of the population

10. UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN
INSTITUTE OF SOCIAL RESEARCH
 In the same year results from a National Survey on Drug Use by the
University of Michigan Institute of Social Research was released.
o the survey was conducted between 1975 and 2014
o Surveyed secondary school students
o African American 12th graders consistently showed lower levels of use than
white 12th graders for most drugs (licit and illicit)
o African Americans showed a higher prevalence of use for marijuana (13% vs.
9%)

11. SIGNIFICANCE
Even though African Americans adolescents use illicit drugs at a lower rate than
white adolescents, the rate of incarceration for drug offenses is disproportionately
higher for African Americans.
o African American youths are incarcerated at a rate 10 times that of white youths
o African American youths represent 12% of drug users and 38% of those arrested
for drug offenses
o African American youths are 3.73 times more likely to be arrested for marijuana
possession than their white counterparts.
o In some countries the rates are even higher at 10,15, and 30 times more likely.

12. SPECIAL CONSIDERATIONS:
DRUG ABUSE AMONG AFRICAN
AMERICAN ADOLESCENTS

13. PRIMARY CONSIDERATIONS
There are three primary considerations that are taken into account when
discussing drug abuse among the African American adolescent population.
 Social and cultural considerations
 Developmental Considerations
 Gender

14. SOCIAL AND CULTURAL
CONSIDERATIONS
Environment and socio-economic status (SES)
impact the lives and behaviors of African
American adolescents.
Poverty, frustration and a lack of
opportunities, early exposure to drug use and
sales are important aspects to consider for
this group of adolescents.
Cultural considerations should also be taken
into account as shared beliefs and values
have an impact on behavior as well.

15. Special considerations should be given when considering treatment for
African American adolescents.
Programs should be designed to reduce the rate of abuse but also take into
consideration the values , culture and community in which the adolescent
lives.

16. DEVELOPMENTAL
CONSIDERATIONS
Biological changes
Psychological changes
Social changes
These are developmental changes that influence adolescent behaviors.

17. These changes can influence behaviors in a positive or negative way.
The negative impact of these changes can lead to drug and alcohol abuse
with a high risk of negative consequences.
Risk factors may occur immediately or after extended drug abuse which can
lead to a diagnosable substance abuse problem during their adolescent
years.
Disorders and concurrence of sexual abuse may also result as a result of
substance abuse.

18. GENDER CONSIDERATIONS
Gender considerations for the population includes:
 Girls
 Boys
LGBT youths

19. GENDER CONSIDERATIONS
Substance abuse among girls is rising.
When compared to boys girls tend to abuse prescription drugs and alcohol
more often than boys.
The most common reasons for substance abuse among girls are:
o Peer approval (especially boyfriend)
o Low self esteem
o Poor self image
o Lack of supervision
o Family drug abuse
o Single parent households

20. Prevention approaches should begin by looking at gender-specific risk factors
and protective factors.
Methods of intervention include a computer based approach as well as
family-based interventions

21. TREATMENT AND PREVENTION OF
SUBSTANCE ABUSE AMONG AFRICAN
AMERICAN ADOLESCENTS

22. TREATMENTS AND PREVENTION
Treatment methods for adolescent drug abuse still has to be improved
especially in the cases of minorities.
Ethnic and cultural differences must be addressed.
Socio-economic factors that affect African American adolescents must also be
addressed.

23. TYPES OF TREATMENTS
 Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT)
 Multidimensional Family Therapy (MDFT)
Motivational Enhancement Therapy
Afrocentric Approach

24. COGNITIVE BEHAVIOR
THERAPY (CBT)
 CBT views substance abuse as a learned behavior.
The behavior is promoted and maintained by environmental factors.
Goals of CBT
o Increase coping competence
o Reduce harmful behaviors

25. MULTIDIMENSIONAL FAMILY
THERAPY (MDFT)
A family based treatment that works simultaneously on four
interrelated aspects:
oAdolescent domain
oParent domain
oInteractional domain
oExtra familial adolescent

26. Both CBT and MDFT show promising results in the treatment of cannabis
use.
MDFT was more successful in decreasing drug abuse problem severity,
maintaining changes over time and being more abstinent.
Over a twelve month period MDFT showed a 77% decrease in other drug use,
while CBT increased the frequency of other drug use.

27. AFROCENTRIC APPROACH
 This is a form of reality therapy.
Reality therapy was developed by psychiatrist William Glasser in 1962.
o All individuals need to develop successful identities
o Leads to becoming addicted to positive behaviors
 Goal
o Help adolescents cope with the real world by accepting responsibility for their
actions
o Change the current life situation

28. AFROCENTRIC APPROACH
Molefi Asante developed the Afrocentric approach.
According to this approach individuals derive a sense of past and future
from their specific culture and history.
Drug abuse stems from a lack of self-confidence and low self esteem derived
from being devalued.

29.  Emphasizes the importance of considering cultural and ethnic factors
when treating African American adolescents
 Treatment programs focus on reinstating value systems and life purpose.
Seeks to develop a sense of pride in one’s ethnic and cultural background
by bringing knowledge of these values and by instilling a desire to benefit
the community.

30. Both reality therapy and the Afrocentric approach seek to change self-
destructive behavior by emphasizing one’s strengths and building a strong
self-esteem and self confidence.

31. ALCOHOL TREATMENT TARGETING
ADOLESCENTS IN NEED (ATTAIN)
Alcohol Treatment Targeting Adolescents in Need is evaluating the efficacy of
guided self-change when treating African American and Hispanic juvenile
offenders who abuse alcohol and other drugs.

32. PREVENTION
 Computer Delivered Mother-Daughter Intervention
o Study done by Schinke et al.
o Intervention to prevent substance use among African American and Hispanic
adolescent girls.
o Identifies the mother as the most important source of health related
information for girls
o Includes protective factors such as authoritative parenting through support and
monitoring

33. o Based on the fact that todays adolescents live in a technological world
o Access and completion of program at own pace
o Improved communication between mother and daughter
o Lower report of alcohol use and lower expectations of future drug use.

34. Specific Event Drug and Alcohol Refusal Efficacy Scale (SEDARE)
o Belgrave et al. examined the effects when used in a culturally prevention
program for African American girls.
o Believed that who possess positive beliefs about their Black race are more likely
to disagree with drug use.
o Utilizes Life Skills Curriculum (a substance abuse program) and a cultural
curriculum called Sisters of Nia.
o Participants showed improvement in drug refusal , resistance skills and peer
pressure resistance.

35.  Nasim et al.
o Afrocentricity and religiosity are very important in preventing drug use among
African American adolescents.
o Church plays a central role in African American culture
o Prevention programs that consider cultural factors and enhance Afrocentric
beliefs may delay early initiation and use among high risk African American
youth.
o Recommends rights of passage programs, strenghthening cultural values, and
ethnic and racial identity in low income/resource communities

36. REFERENCES
Belgrave, F. Z., Reed, M. C., Plybon, L. E., & Corneille, M. (2004). The impact of a
culturally enhanced drug prevention program on drug and alcohol refusal
efficacy among urban African American girls. Drug Education, 34(3), 267-279.
Brook, S., Lee, J., Brown, E., Finch, S., and Brook, W. (2012). Individuality and
Contextual Influences on Drug Dependence: A 15-Year Prospective Longitudinal
Study of Adolescents from Harlem. Journal of Genetic Psychology 173(4), 355–373.
Gil, A. G., Wagner, E. F., & Tubman, G. (2004). Culturally sensitive substance abuse
intervention for Hispanic and African American adolescents: Empirical
examples from the Alcohol Treatment Targeting Adolescents in Need (ATTAIN)
Project. Society for Study of Addiction, 99(2), 140-150

37. Johnston, L. D., O'Malley, P. M., Miech, R. A., Bachman, J. G., & Schulenberg, J.
E. (2015). Monitoring the Future National Survey Results on Drug Use,
1975-2014 (Vol. I, Rep.). Ann Arbor, MI: The University of Michigan Institute
of Social Research
doi:http://www.monitoringthefuture.org/pubs/monographs/mtf-
overview2014.pdf
Liddle, H. A., Dakof, G. A., Turner, R. M., Henderson, C. E., & Greenbaum, P. E.
(2008). Treating adolescent drug abuse: A randomized trial comparing
multidimensional family therapy and cognitive behavior therapy. Addiction,
103, 1660-1670.
Mennis, J., and Mason, J. (2011). People, Places, and Adolescent Substance Use:
Integrating Activity Space and Social Network Data for Analyzing Health
Behavior. Annals of theAssociation of American Geographers 101(2), 272-291.

38. Moore, S. E. (2001). Substance abuse treatment with adolescent African
American males. Journal of Social Work Practice in Addictions, 1:2, 21-
32.
Nasim, A., Belgrave, F. Z., Jagers, R. J., Wilson, K. D., & Owens, K. (2007).
The moderating effects of culture on peer deviance and alcohol use
among high risk African American adolescents. Drug Education, 37(3),
335-363.
Oshri, A., and Tubman, G., and Burnette, L. (2012). Childhood Maltreatment
Histories, Alcohol and Other Drug Use Symptoms, and Sexual Risk
Behavior in a Treatment Sample of Adolescents. Am J Public
Health 102, S250-7. doi: 10.2105/AJPH.2011.300628.

39. Schinke, S. P., Fang, L., Cole, K. C., & Cohen-Cutler, S. (2011). Preventing
substance use among Black and Hispanic adolescent girls: Results
from a computer delivered, mother-daughter intervention approach.
Substance use & misuse,46(1), 35-45.