Cultural values and practices in alcohol and other drug use among immigrant youth: A systematic review.

Abstract

We systematically reviewed the literature to examine the cultural values and practices that can increase risk for or protect against Alcohol and Other Drugs (AOD) use among immigrant youth, and the variation of these risk and protective factors across socio-demographic contexts. We followed the preferred reporting items for systematic review (PRISMA) guidelines. We included quantitative studies that were conducted with immigrant youth between 12 and 35 years and measured cultural values as independent variables and AOD use as dependent variables. All studies were identified via PsycINFO, MEDLINE, CINAHL, EMBASE, and Scopus databases. We used a two-step screening process for all records. Thirty studies met the inclusion criteria; 27 were conducted in the United States (U.S.), 1 each in Spain, Italy, and Israel. The findings regarding family cohesion and collectivistic values were mixed in terms of their role in AOD use. However, religious values and cultural practices relating to parenting were protective against AOD use among immigrant youth from Latin/Hispanic, African, and Asian backgrounds. The findings from this systematic review highlight how cultural values and practices of immigrant youth are important in predicting their health risk behavior such as AOD use. Depending on sociodemographic factors, most of these cultural values and practices serve as protective factors against AOD use, even though some might serve as risk factors for AOD use. However, our understanding of cultural values and practices as a risk or protective factor in AOD use is still limited, especially among immigrant youth outside the U.S.