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Source: Lordelyn del Rosario
415-476-2557
04 December 1998
INTERVENTIONS TARGETING ASIAN DRUG USERS SHOULD FOCUS ON CULTURAL FACTORS THAT INFLUENCE AND PREVENT DRUG USE, ACCORDING TO UCSF STUDY
Drug prevention and intervention programs targeting Asians should focus on cultural factors such as family support to prevent drug use and the escalation of drug use in Asian communities, according to a new study by UC San Francisco health policy researchers. "This is one of few studies on drug use in the Asian community." said Tooru Nemoto, PhD, research psychologist at the UCSF Institute for Health Policy Studies. "Findings revealed that cultural factors, including family support were strongly correlated with drug use or non-drug use behavior in Asian communities."
Nemoto and UCSF research colleagues presented preliminary findings of the study on Asian drug users and non-drug users at a recent meeting of the American Public Health Association in Washington D.C.
Using a targeted sample of Asian (Filipino and Chinese) drug users and non-drug users from San Francisco. The researchers studied protective factors that prevent drug use and the escalation of drug use in these groups. They studied such factors as social and family support, cultural competence, religious beliefs, and life satisfaction.
In addition, the researchers compared similarities and differences in these protective factors between Asian ethnic groups specific to immigrant status and gender.
Researchers categorized heavy drug users as those who used illegal drugs such as cocaine, heroine, and crack at least three days a week and light drug users as those who used such drugs as marijuana and depressants less than four times a month.
Researchers categorized non-drug users as those who have never used any illicit drugs in their lifetime, those who tried illegal drugs once or twice in their lifetime, and those in recovery. Individuals in the recovered group had used drugs heavily, but hadn’t used illegal drugs in the past 12 months.
Participants, age 18 and over, were recruited for the study which had two stages. First, a total of 59 Chinese (30 heavy drug users and 29 non-drug users) and 70 Filipino (37 heavy drug users and 33 non drug users) were recruited for qualitative interviews -- one-on-one interviews using a structured questionnaire with open-ended questions.
For the second stage of the study, a total of 190 Chinese (96 non drug users and 94 drug users) and 189 Filipinos (102 non drug users and 87 drug users) were recruited for survey interviews. Research findings indicate that Chinese and Filipinos receive support from both friends and family members but the nature of the support is different between Chinese and Filipinos and between drug users and non-drug users. Chinese generally received more financial support than did Filipinos, whereas Filipinos received more emotional support than did Chinese.
Although non-drug users received more financial support from both family and parents compared to drug users, drug users received some financial support from family and friends, including non-drug user friends, said Nemoto.
"It is very interesting that some drug users received financial support from family members who knew the recipients’ drug habit," said Nemoto. "Family members tried not to talk about drug problems in the family and kept providing financial support."
Drug users, added Nemoto, revealed cultural ideas such as the shame of drug users in the family or a "cultural taboo" to talk about drug use in the family. These ideas, he said, are pervasive in Asian communities and create co-dependency among Asian families.
Many Filipino drug users expressed the need for emotional support, but had not received any from family members, according to researchers. Also, many Filipino heavy drug users expressed shame or guilt about their drug use and tried to hide their drug habit from family members, although many thought their family knew about their drug use.
The perception of religious influence on drug use and non-drug use differed between heavy drug users and non-drug users, and between Filipino and Chinese. Significantly, more non-drug users believed that religion influenced their drug use or non-drug use behaviors. In addition, more Filipinos than Chinese non-drug users believed that religion influenced their total abstinence or non-drug use.
Filipino drug users revealed that they were less likely to practice their religion than were Chinese, perhaps suggesting that Filipino drug users felt more incongruity about their drug use and the doctrines of their religion (i.e. Catholicism) than did the Chinese, said Nemoto. Regarding life satisfaction, findings show that fewer drug users were satisfied with life than non-drug users. Although there was not a significant difference between Chinese and Filipino drug users, Filipinos were generally less satisfied than Chinese users, citing drug dependence, inability to maintain drug habits, and drugs destroying their lives.
The types of drugs, means of taking drugs, and drug user networks differ depending on Asian ethnic groups, immigrant status, and gender, added Nemoto. More Filipinos than Chinese believed that they were still using drugs because they were addicted, whereas more Chinese than Filipinos continued to use drugs because Chinese heavy drug users thought they could quit anytime.
Given these preliminary findings researchers recommend drug prevention and treatment programs targeting Asian drug users should involve both drug users and family members, particularly parents and extended family members. In addition, when drug use is known, these programs involving both family members and drug users should begin at an early stage of drug use to prevent escalation in drug use.
Drug prevention and treatment programs that target Asian drug users should be culturally sensitive in order to be effective with this population, they recommend. Finally, prevention programs for Asian drug users should also target culturally specific protective factors and risk factors, taking into account the different influences on ethnicity, immigrant status, gender, and stages of drug use.
Co-authors of the study include Lavina Tam, UCSF research assistant, Jennifer Patria, UCSF research assistant, and Joey Villalobos, UCSF outreach worker, all of the UCSF Institute for Health Policy Studies.
The study was funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse.
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