Drug use among two American Indian populations: prevalence of lifetime use and DSM-IV substance use disorders

• Published in: Drug and alcohol dependence Vol. 69; no. 1; pp. 29 - 41
• Main Authors: Mitchell, Christina M, Beals, Janette, Novins, Douglas K, Spicer, Paul
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Shannon Elsevier Ireland Ltd 24.01.2003; Elsevier Science
• Subjects: Addictive behaviors; Adolescent; Adult; Adult and adolescent clinical studies; Age Factors; American Indian; American Indian people; Biological and medical sciences; Community prevalence; Comorbidity; Cultural differences; Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders; Drug abuse; Drug addiction; Female; Gender differences; Humans; Indians, North American - statistics & numerical data; Male; Medical sciences; Mental Disorders - epidemiology; Mental Disorders - psychology; Middle Aged; Northwestern United States - ethnology; Polydrug use and disorders; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychopathology. Psychiatry; Sex Factors; Socioeconomic Factors; Southwestern United States - ethnology; Substance use; Substance use disorders; Substance-Related Disorders - epidemiology; Substance-Related Disorders - psychology; USA; United States; North America; America; Northwestern United States; Southwestern United States; Substance use; Substance use disorders; Polydrug use and disorders; Community prevalence; American Indian; Human; Amerindian; Consumption; Drug addiction; Prevalence; Illicit drug; Adolescent; Dependence; Mental health; Epidemiology; Ethnic group; Public health
• ISSN: 0376-8716; 1879-0046
• DOI: 10.1016/S0376-8716(02)00253-3

American Indians (AIs) have often reported higher rates of drug use than have other racial/ethnic groups. However, the majority of these studies have focused on drug use among high school adolescents, with little attention to pathological use such as drug abuse or dependence. This study is among the first to report lifetime drug use and disorder (abuse/dependence) information from community samples of two culture groups of AI people—one in the Southwest (SW), one in the Northern Plains (NP)—ranging in age from 15 to 57 years old. Analyses were conducted within four groups: SW men, SW women, NP men, and NP women. Across the four groups, lifetime use rates for marijuana (36.9–57.5%), cocaine (4.3–21.5%), and inhalants (3.6–17.0%) were the highest drug use rates; heroin (0.5–2.1%), the lowest. Lifetime drug disorder rates were highest for marijuana (4.5–14.1%), cocaine (1.1–2.3%), and stimulants (0.7–1.7%). Lifetime polydrug use disorder rates from 1.2 to 4.5%. Women generally had lower prevalence rates than did men in their culture group. The SW women generally had the lowest rates of use and disorder. Lifetime use and disorder rates among the youngest group were often not different from rates of the older groups. Overall, 40–60% had never used any drugs; 85–95% had not developed any drug disorder. Despite widespread concern and rhetoric about drug problems among AIs, many who had used various drugs either were using them without serious consequences or had quit use altogether.