Drinking perceptions and drinking behaviors among urban black adolescents.

PURPOSE

To improve understanding of black (African American and Haitian Blacks) adolescents' drinking behaviors and sexual patterns that put them at risk for human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) to determine whether specific cultural differences affect beliefs and behaviors about alcohol use.

METHODS

The study used ethnographic interviewing to provide information about the alcohol norms, beliefs, context, and behavior of African-American and Haitian adolescents. Ethnographic open-ended interviews were conducted with 314 students: 116 African American adolescents (50 boys and 66 girls) and 198 Haitian adolescents (93 boys and 105 girls) in inner-city public high schools.

RESULTS

The majority of adolescents had drunk alcohol, and African-American boys and Haitian boys and girls were most likely to report general drinking experience. Both ethnic groups distinguished between negative and positive nonnormative behaviors resulting from drinking beyond and within the boundary of one's limits. African-American boys in particular described not drinking beyond the boundary, to maintain control of their actions. Drinking within the boundary and feeling "relaxed" was endorsed by African American youths, as it was by Haitian youths who felt "normal" and/or viewed drinking certain alcoholic beverages as normative and culturally sanctioned.

CONCLUSION

The study suggests there are cultural differences in the constructs of the meaning of drink and drinking that may influence alcohol use. Understanding these differences will improve efforts to impact the drinking behaviors of adolescents by recognizing the drinking socialization, normative drinking patterns, and culturally sanctioned drinking behaviors that may influence alcohol use in different ethnic groups.