Understanding the similarities and differences between substance use rates for American Indian (AI) young people and young people nationally can better inform prevention and treatment efforts. We compared substance use rates for a large sample of AI students living on or near reservations for the years 2009–2012 with national prevalence rates from Monitoring the Future (MTF).
Methods.
We identified and sampled schools on or near AI reservations by region; 1,399 students in sampled schools were administered the American Drug and Alcohol Survey. We computed lifetime, annual, and last-month prevalence measures by grade and compared them with MTF results for the same time period.
Results.
Prevalence rates for AI students were significantly higher than national rates for nearly all substances, especially for 8th graders. Rates of marijuana use were very high, with lifetime use higher than 50% for all grade groups. Other findings of interest included higher binge drinking rates and OxyContin® use for AI students.
Conclusions.
The results from this study demonstrate that adolescent substance use is still a major problem among reservation-based AI adolescent students, especially 8th graders, where prevalence rates were sometimes dramatically higher than MTF rates. Given the high rates of substance use-related problems on reservations, such as academic failure, delinquency, violent criminal behavior, suicidality, and alcohol-related mortality, the costs to members of this population and to society will continue to be much too high until a comprehensive understanding of the root causes of substance use are established.
BeauvaisF.Trends in drug use among American Indian students and dropouts, 1975 to 1994. Am J Public Health1996;86:1594–8.
3.
BeauvaisFJumper-ThurmanPBurnsideM.The changing patterns of drug use among American Indian students over the past 30 years. Am Indian Alsk Native Ment Health Res2008;15:15–24.
4.
BachmanJGWallaceJMJrO'MalleyPMJohnstonLDKurthCLNeighborsHW, Racial/ethnic differences in smoking, drinking, and illicit drug use among American high school seniors, 1976–89. Am J Public Health1991;8:372–7.
5.
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (US). Results from the 2004 National Survey on Drug Use and Health: National findings and detailed tables. NSDUH Series H-27. Rockville (MD): SAMHSA, Office of Applied Studies; 2005. Also available from: URL: http://www.samhsa.gov/data/NSDUH.aspx [cited 2012 Aug 7].
6.
MillerKAStanleyLRBeauvaisF.Regional differences in drug use rates among American Indian youth. Drug Alcohol Depend2012;126:35–41.
7.
BeauvaisF.Comparison of drug use rates for reservation Indian, non-reservation Indian and Anglo youth. Am Indian Alsk Native Ment Health Res1992;5:13–31.
8.
FreedenthalSStiffmanAR, Suicidal behavior in urban American Indian adolescents: A comparison with reservation youth in a southwestern state. Suicide Life Threat Behav2004;34:160–71.
9.
HawkinsEHCumminsLHMarlattGA, Preventing substance abuse in American Indian and Alaska native youth: Promising strategies for healthier communities. Psychol Bull2004;130:304–23.
10.
WhitesellNRBealsJMitchellCMNovinsDKSpicerPO'ConnellJ, Marijuana initiation in 2 American Indian reservation communities: Comparison with a national sample. Am J Public Health2007;97:1311–8.
11.
SnippCM, American Indian and Alaska Native children: Results from the 2000 Census. Washington: Population Reference Bureau; 2005. Also available from: URL: http://www.prb.org/pdf05/americanindianalaskachildren.pdf [cited 2012 Jun 13].
12.
OettingERBeauvaisF.Adolescent drug use: Findings of national and local surveys. J Consult Clin Psych1990;58:385–94.
StataCorp. Stata®: Release 10. College Station (TX): StataCorp LP; 2007.
15.
JohnstonLDO'MalleyPMBachmanJGSchulenbergJE, Monitoring the Future: National results on adolescent drug use: Overview of key findings, 2011. Ann Arbor (MI): Institute for Social Research, University of Michigan; 2012. Also available from: URL: http://www.slstoday.org/images/mtf-overview2011.pdf [cited 2012 Jul 29].
16.
JohnstonLDO'MalleyPMBachmanJGSchulenbergJE, Monitoring the Future: National results on adolescent drug use: Overview of key findings, 2009. Bethesda (MD): National Institutes of Health (US), National Institute on Drug Abuse; 2010. Also available from: URL: http://www.monitoringthefuture.org/pubs/monographs/overview2009.pdf [cited 2012 Jul 29].
17.
JohnstonLDO'MalleyPMBachmanJGSchulenbergJE, Monitoring the Future: National results on adolescent drug use: Overview of key findings, 2010. Ann Arbor (MI): Institute for Social Research, University of Michigan; 2011. Also available from: URL: http://www.monitoringthefuture.org/pubs/monographs/mtf-overview2010.pdf [cited 2012 Jul 29].
18.
JohnstonLDO'MalleyPMBachmanJGSchulenbergJE, Monitoring the Future national survey results on drug use, 1975–2011, volume I, secondary school students. Ann Arbor (MI): Institute for Social Research, University of Michigan; 2011. Also available from: URL: http://www.monitoringthefuture.org/pubs/monographs/mtf-vol1_2011.pdf [cited 2012 Jul 29].
19.
FrieseBGrubeJWSeningerSPaschallMJMooreRS, Drinking behavior and sources of alcohol: Differences between Native American and white youths. J Stud Alcohol Drugs2011;72:53–60.
20.
HenryKLMcDonaldJNOettingERWalkerPSWalkerRDBeauvaisF.Age of onset of first alcohol intoxication and subsequent alcohol use among urban American Indian adolescents. Psychol Addict Behav2011;25:48–56.
21.
SwaimRCBeauvaisFChavezELOettingER, The effect of school dropout rates on estimates of adolescent substance use among three racial/ethnic groups. Am J Public Health1997;87:51–5.
MomperSLDelvaJReedBG, OxyContin misuse on a reservation: Qualitative reports by American Indians in talking circles. Subst Use Misuse2011;46:1372–9.
24.
General Accounting Office (US). Report to Congressional requesters. Prescription drugs: OxyContin abuse and diversion and efforts to address the problem (GAO-04-110). Washington: GAO; 2003. Also available from: URL: http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d04110.pdf [cited 2012 Aug 7].
25.
HaysLR, A profile of OxyContin addiction. J Addict Dis2004;23:1–9.
26.
BeauvaisFJumper-ThurmanPHelmHPlestedBBurnsideM.Surveillance of drug use among American Indian adolescents: Patterns over 25 years. J Adolesc Health2004;34:493–500.
Herman-StahlMChongJ.Substance abuse prevalence and treatment utilization among American Indians residing on-reservation. Am Indian Alsk Native Ment Health Res202;10:1–23.
29.
MyhraLL, “It runs in the family”: Intergenerational transmission of historical trauma among urban American Indians and Alaska Natives in culturally specific sobriety maintenance programs. Am Indian Alsk Native Ment Health Res2010;10:1–23.
