Acculturation Stress Makes Latino Teens Turn to Pot, Alcohol

By Carolyn Salazar
Published December 30, 2010

A study says Mexican teens trying to assimilate to the U.S. culture end up turning to pot and alcohol because of acculturation stress.

Mexican middle school students in the Phoenix area are taking up alcohol and marijuana because they feel they are discriminated against, according to a new study.

The study, in the December issue of Prevention Science, said Mexican and Mexican American students who were trying to assimilate to the mainstream U.S. culture had a tough time coping – triggering stress. The stress puts the students at a higher risk for alcohol, cigarettes and marijuana dependence, the study says.

“As levels of perceived discrimination and acculturation stress increased with age, so did the risk for substance use," said lead author Jennifer Kam, assistant professor in the School of Communication at Ohio State University.

The study, funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse, followed 1,106 fifth through eighth graders of Mexican heritage in 29 public middle schools in Phoenix and surrounding areas.

"Acculturation stress is often associated with anxiety, anger and depression. It is a complex process that involves challenges and troubles that often stem from tension between one's native culture and the mainstream culture,â€