Christopher P Salas-Wright1, Trenette C Goings2, Michael G Vaughn3,4, Mariana Cohen5, Patricia Andrade6, Augusto Pérez Gómez7, Maria Duque8, Juliana Mejía Trujillo7, Mildred M Maldonado-Molina9, Seth J Schwartz10. 1. School of Social Work, Boston University, 264 Bay State Road, Boston, MA, 02215, USA. cpsw@bu.edu. 2. School of Social Work, University of North Carolina At Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA. 3. School of Social Work, College for Public Health and Social Justice, Saint Louis University, St. Louis, MO, USA. 4. Graduate School of Social Welfare, Yonsei University, Seoul, Republic of Korea. 5. School of Social Work, Boston University, 264 Bay State Road, Boston, MA, 02215, USA. 6. Raíces Venezolanas, Doral, FL, USA. 7. Corporación Nuevos Rumbos, Bogotá, Colombia. 8. Harvard University Extension School, Cambridge, MA, USA. 9. College of Health and Human Performance, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA. 10. Division of Prevention Science and Community Health, Department of Public Health Sciences, University of Miami, Miami, FL, USA.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: In recent years, more than 5 million Venezuelans have left their once prosperous country, with several hundred thousand settling in the United States (US). At present, our understanding of the health risk behavior profiles of Venezuelan émigré youth, and their links with cultural stress, remains limited. OBJECTIVES: Drawing from a sample of recently-immigrated Venezuelan youth in the US, we aim to identify subtypes of youth according to their involvement in health risk behaviors (i.e., substance use, sexual risk behavior, violence) and assess the associations between class membership and key constructs related to cultural stress theory (i.e., negative context of reception, family communication/support). METHOD: Latent profile analysis and multinomial regression were performed using data from a community-based convenience sample of 402 recently-arrived Venezuelan immigrant youth (ages 10-17; 56% male). RESULTS: We identified five subtype classes: (1) "Abstainer" (36%), (2) "Alcohol Only" (24%), (3) "Alcohol/Tobacco" (24%), (4) "Aggression" (8%), and (5) "Multidimensional Risk" (8%). Compared to Class #1, youth in Classes #3 and #5 reported significantly higher levels of negative context of reception and lower levels of family functioning while controlling for demographic factors. Youth in Class #5 reported the lowest levels of family economic hardship and the longest duration in the US. CONCLUSION: It is vital that we support both Venezuelan youth who abstain from risk behavior and, at the same time, develop and implement programs that target the needs of those who are at elevated risk for serious consequences related to substance use, sexual risk behavior, and violence.
BACKGROUND: In recent years, more than 5 million Venezuelans have left their once prosperous country, with several hundred thousand settling in the United States (US). At present, our understanding of the health risk behavior profiles of Venezuelan émigré youth, and their links with cultural stress, remains limited. OBJECTIVES: Drawing from a sample of recently-immigrated Venezuelan youth in the US, we aim to identify subtypes of youth according to their involvement in health risk behaviors (i.e., substance use, sexual risk behavior, violence) and assess the associations between class membership and key constructs related to cultural stress theory (i.e., negative context of reception, family communication/support). METHOD: Latent profile analysis and multinomial regression were performed using data from a community-based convenience sample of 402 recently-arrived Venezuelan immigrant youth (ages 10-17; 56% male). RESULTS: We identified five subtype classes: (1) "Abstainer" (36%), (2) "Alcohol Only" (24%), (3) "Alcohol/Tobacco" (24%), (4) "Aggression" (8%), and (5) "Multidimensional Risk" (8%). Compared to Class #1, youth in Classes #3 and #5 reported significantly higher levels of negative context of reception and lower levels of family functioning while controlling for demographic factors. Youth in Class #5 reported the lowest levels of family economic hardship and the longest duration in the US. CONCLUSION: It is vital that we support both Venezuelan youth who abstain from risk behavior and, at the same time, develop and implement programs that target the needs of those who are at elevated risk for serious consequences related to substance use, sexual risk behavior, and violence.
Entities:
Keywords:
Adolescent; Alcohol; Cultural stress; Immigrants; Sexual risk behavior; Venezuela
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