Substance abuse patterns among different indigenous populations and among Hispanic populations. Weaver notes that neither Native Americans nor Hispanics can or should be treated as monolithic groups. Rather, great cultural diversity exists among persons of Native American and Latin American descent. Individual differences must also be taken into account. However, the author examines substance abuse as being possibly related to sociological issues such as assimilation, economic class status and economic opportunities, gender, and both causes and effects of stereotyping. The author addresses issues related to treatment programs, interventions, and reactions to them. Furthermore, Weaver points out problems with existing research into substance abuse patterns among Native American and Latin American communities. In particular, the author decries global solutions. Weaver also explores the relevance of theoretical models including those that suggest physiological and psychological predispositions toward substance abuse.
Strong points of the text include a thorough vetting of the research, exposing weaknesses and strengths of prior studies. The author takes care to distinguish between stereotyping and fact, pointing out the need to examine both Native American and Hispanic-Americans not as monolithic groups but as diverse and heterogeneous ones. Yet Weaver accomplishes the research objective without denying the relevance of cultural factors that impact attitudes toward assimilation and oppression. The main weakness of the research is that Weaver spends far more time addressing Native American substance abuse issues than Hispanic and could easily have narrowed down the report.
Two questions for stimulating group discussion include the following. First, given the results of Weaver's research and the lack of evidence that supports sweeping stereotypes, what treatment intervention models and programs would be particularly efficacious for Native American communities? Second, what does Weaver suggest about approaching substance abuse in general, regardless of ethnic heritage? In other words, what factors appear to be universal among substance abusers?
801). According to Green (2006), "Research on how gender influences substance use and substance-abuse-related problems has established clear differences between women and men in several important areas. Women typically consume less alcohol than men when they drink, drink alcohol less frequently, and are less likely to develop alcohol-related problems than men. Similarly, women are less likely than men to use illicit drugs and to develop drug-related problems" (p. 55). Relationship
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