We ask authors to describe their impressions regarding the implications of their accepted work, how their findings will change practice, and what is noteworthy about the work.
Latino Immigrants’ Biological Parents’ Histories of Substance Use Problems in Their Country of Origin Predict Their Pre- and Post-Immigration Alcohol Use Problems
Timothy C. Blackson , Mario De La Rosa , Mariana Sanchez , Tan Li
Substance Abuse
Vol. 36, Iss. 3, 2015
This is the first study to document that biological parents’ histories of substance use problems in their country of origin predict recent young adult Latino immigrants’ severity of alcohol use problems pre- and post-immigration to the U.S. As such, it is important for clinicians, health care service providers and social policy advocates to encourage recent Latino immigrants to disclosure their family histories of substance use problems along with their current alcohol use problems so that culturally competent prevention and intervention programs can offer services to redirect Latino immigrants on trajectories to develop alcohol use disorders to healthier post-immigration outcomes. Furthermore, future research studies guided by innovative differential susceptibility theory, which take into account intergenerational family histories of substance use problems, may elucidate etiological mechanisms, processes and gene-environment interactions underlying Latino immigrants’ trajectories to both good and poor post-immigration outcomes.