Asian American adolescents'health risk behaviors

Columbia Univ New York Morningside, New York NY

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Abstract

This dissertation research will identify the risk and protective factors associated with the use of tobacco and alcohol and involvement with risk sexual behaviors among Asian American adolescents using National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health). Although Asian American adolescents' overall rates of drug use and risky sexual behaviors tend to be lower than other ethnic adolescents, those who are already involved in heavy drinking tends to have higher daily alcohol consumption than other ethnic adolescents, and those who have been sexually experienced exhibit as high risk as those of White adolescents. The prevention of psychopathology and health risk behaviors in Asian American adolescents requires an understanding of the interplay between socio-cultural risk factors and parental protective factors. In addition, there are evidences that acculturation is central to psychosocial functioning and play a leading role in ethnic minority groups' health risk behaviors, but the studies on this topic is still inconclusive and fragmentary. The specific aims of this study are (1) to determine the predictive role of a) level of acculturation, and b) parent-adolescent attachment on Asian American adolescents' use of tobacco, consumption of alcohol, and involvement with risky sexual behaviors, (2) to determine the degree to which strong parent-adolescent attachment buffers the relationship between acculturation and Asian American adolescents' use of tobacco, consumption of alcohol, and involvement with risky sexual behaviors. _ The nationally representative sample of 1584 Asian American adolescents grade 7 to 12 will be analyzed using a longitudinal design (two waves). Multiple regression and logistic regression will be used to predict Asian American adolescents' use of tobacco and alcohol and involvement with sexual activities at Wave lI. Findings from this study may offer important steps toward developing culturally appropriate substance use and sexual education programs for Asian American adolescents and provide new insights into the protective role of the family.