The Prevalence of and Motivation for Drug and Alcohol Use among Black African Minorities in England

Abeeb Olufemi Salaam

doi:10.5964/ejop.v5i4.242

Abstract

The current study examined the prevalence of and motivation for drug and alcohol use among black African minorities in England. Participants, comprising 82 males (i.e., 71.9%) and 32 females (i.e., 28.1%), aged 18 to 60 years, were recruited through contact on the streets, and from recreation centres, bus stations, train stations, and shopping centres in Liverpool, Manchester, and London. A self-report anonymous questionnaire covering drug and alcohol use and measures of impulsivity (i.e., sensation seeking, lack of premeditation, lack of perseverance and urgency) was administered. Although the results suggest a low level of illicit drug use, a significant number of the participants admitted to alcohol use. While predicting the motivation for alcohol use via the Whiteside and Lynam (2001) measures of impulsivity, a lack of premeditation was significantly attributed to motivation for alcohol use among the participants. Other impulsivity measures, such as sensation seeking, urgency, and lack of perseverance, do not appear to be significant predictors of alcohol use, but there were significant relationships between urgency, lack of premeditation and patterns of alcohol use. The implications of the findings in terms of policy formulation on drug treatment services are emphasised.

Highlights

Britain has had a long history of immigration, with considerable inflows of migrants from different parts of the world (Stillwell & Williams, 2005)
The differences in patterns of drug and alcohol use between ethnic minorities and indigenous white population notwithstanding, there is evidence to suggest that a wide range of black and minority ethnic groups are involved in illegal drug use (Rasool, 2006; Sangster et al, 2002)
The current study focuses on intra-personal factors of impulsivity to explain motivation for drug and alcohol use among black African minorities in England

Summary

Introduction

Britain has had a long history of immigration, with considerable inflows of migrants from different parts of the world (Stillwell & Williams, 2005). Of all these immigrants, the proportion of black African minorities is steadily increasing, with a gain of 53 percent between the 1981 and 1991 census period and 141 per cent during the 1991 to 2001 census period (Rees & Butt, 2003). Sangster, Shiner, Sheikh and Patel (2002) observed that the levels of drug and alcohol use among black minority groups is steadily increasing but lower than the indigenous white population. The differences in patterns of drug and alcohol use between ethnic minorities and indigenous white population notwithstanding, there is evidence to suggest that a wide range of black and minority ethnic groups are involved in illegal drug use (Rasool, 2006; Sangster et al, 2002)

Objectives

Methods

Discussion

Conclusion