Risk Factors for Alcohol Use Among Inner-City Minority Youth: A Comparative Analysis of Youth Living in Public and Conventional Housing

Abstract

SUMMARY National survey data indicate that drug use among our nation's secondary school youth is once again on the rise. Nowhere is this concern more dramatic than with inner-city youth who seem disproportionately affected by the risks associated with drug use. Urban youth residing in public housing developments may be extremely vulnerable as a result of their exposure to high rates of crime, unrelenting poverty, and drug use. To better understand the role of public housing conditions in the etiology of adolescent drug use, we examined a sample of youth living in hosing developments and youth living in conventional housing. Correlates and preductors of alcohol and drug use included measures of cognitive efficasy, Social influences, normative expectations, drug-refusal skills, family managment, psychological distress, and alcohol-related expectancies. Overall, there were few significant mean differences in psychosocial functioning or drug behaviour for the two groups. Hierarchical moderated multiple regression analyses indicated that public housing status buffered against the negative effects of high levels of percieved alcohol availability on drinking behaviour, whereas youth living in conventional housing with high grades reported lower alcohol involvement. Findings are discussed in terms of their implications for developing effective prevention approaches targeting urban youth residing in public housing.