D'Amico Elizabeth J, Tucker Joan S, Shih Regina A, Miles Jeremy N V
RAND Corporation, Santa Monica , California , USA.
Subst Use Misuse. 2014 Jun;49(8):1069-73. doi: 10.3109/10826084.2014.862027.
The existing research aimed at understanding alcohol and drug (AOD) use patterns from early to late adolescence typically does not examine samples with substantial racial and ethnic diversity. This is a critical research gap because studies have suggested that non-white adolescents often have worse health outcomes compared to white adolescents, even with less AOD use. In this paper, we discuss the need for future research on this topic, given demographic shifts in the racial and ethnic composition of the USA. We also outline how this research can provide information on what periods might be most relevant for each racial/ethnic group, and suggest measures that epidemiological studies on early substance use should assess to capture the underlying cultural, acculturation, psychosocial, and contextual factors that explain racial/ethnic differences in AOD trajectories.
现有旨在了解从青春期早期到晚期酒精和药物（AOD）使用模式的研究通常并未对具有大量种族和族裔多样性的样本进行考察。这是一个关键的研究空白，因为研究表明，即便非白人青少年的AOD使用量较少，但与白人青少年相比，他们的健康状况往往更差。鉴于美国种族和族裔构成的人口结构变化，本文讨论了未来对此主题进行研究的必要性。我们还概述了该研究如何能够提供与每个种族/族裔群体最相关的时期的信息，并建议早期物质使用的流行病学研究应评估哪些措施，以捕捉解释AOD轨迹中种族/族裔差异的潜在文化、文化适应、心理社会和背景因素。
