Childhood Predictors of Daily Substance Use among Homeless Women of Different Ethnicities

Adeline Nyamathi,Barbara D Leake,Janna Lesser,Douglas Longshore,Colleen Keenan

doi:10.1177/00027640121957006

Adeline Nyamathi, Barbara D Leake + Show 3 more

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https://doi.org/10.1177/00027640121957006

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Abstract

The objective of this study was to describe associations between childhood factors and adult daily substance use profiles among homeless women and to identify independent predictors of daily substance use for the overall sample and for ethnic/acculturation subgroups. Structured surveys were administered to 1,331 homeless women in Los Angeles who were either daily drug and alcohol users for the past 6 months or nondaily substance users. Physical abuse and parental drug abuse predicted daily drug use in the whole sample and selected subgroups, whereas parental alcohol abuse predicted daily alcohol use in the whole sample. Teen self-esteem was also found to have a protective effect on daily alcohol use for the sample and for African American women. Negative peer influence in adolescence predicted daily drug use among high-acculturated Latinas. In summary, childhood abuse, parental substance use, and negative peer influence affect important roles in homeless women's daily substance use.

Highlights

The objective of this study was to describe associations between childhood factors and adult daily substance use profiles among homeless women and to identify independent predictors of daily substance use for the overall sample and for ethnic/acculturation subgroups
Structured surveys were administered to 1,331 homeless women in Los Angeles who were either daily drug and alcohol users for the past 6 months or nondaily substance users
The association between childhood abuse and subsequent substance abuse problems is well documented (Burnam et al, 1988; Clark, Wells, & Foy, 1996; Gil-Rivas, Fiorentine, & Anglin, 1996; Malinosky-Rummell & Hansen, 1993; Wilsnak & Wilsnak, 1995), research on the sequelae of child abuse suggests that a host of other factors, such as parental alcoholism and drug use, inadequate social and family functioning, negative childhood and family life events, lack of adequate coping skills, prior

Summary

Introduction

The objective of this study was to describe associations between childhood factors and adult daily substance use profiles among homeless women and to identify independent predictors of daily substance use for the overall sample and for ethnic/acculturation subgroups. The association between childhood abuse and subsequent substance abuse problems is well documented (Burnam et al, 1988; Clark, Wells, & Foy, 1996; Gil-Rivas, Fiorentine, & Anglin, 1996; Malinosky-Rummell & Hansen, 1993; Wilsnak & Wilsnak, 1995), research on the sequelae of child abuse suggests that a host of other factors, such as parental alcoholism and drug use, inadequate social and family functioning, negative childhood and family life events, lack of adequate coping skills, prior. This article addresses four main research questions: (a) What are the associations between childhood factors and daily substance use among homeless women? (b) Do these childhood factors differ by ethnicity and acculturation? (c) Are childhood abuse measures independent predictors of daily substance use when other childhood factors are accounted for? and (d) Do independent predictors of daily substance use by homeless women differ by ethnicity and acculturation?

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