NCJ Number
231373
Journal
Journal of Ethnicity in Substance Abuse Volume: 9 Issue: 2 Dated: April-June 2010 Pages: 143-151
Date Published
April 2010
Length
9 pages
Annotation
This study explored whether any individual drug use differences could be discerned between male youth in Houston, TX who reported post-traumatic stress reactions (PTSR) to Hurricane Ike and students who did not report PTSR.
Abstract
This study shows the important link between higher drug use and self-medication among youth with higher reported posttraumatic stress reactions after natural disasters. The study offers secondary analysis of cross-sectional data collected on 170 predominately African-American males through the Fifth Ward Enrichment program (FWEP) in Houston, TX, between November and December 2009. Men who stated that in the last week they tried to keep from thinking or talking about the hurricane or things that remind them of what happen were significantly more likely to use alcohol (p less than .05), marijuana (p less than .01), codeine cough syrup (p less than .00), anti-energy drinks (p less than .00), crystal methamphetamines (p less than .00), and Viagra (p less than .00). Unadjusted logistic regression showed that they also experienced over twice the odds of reporting past 30 day use of alcohol (OR equals 2.57, 95 percent CI equals .98, 6.8), marijuana (OR equals 4.31, 95 percent CI equals 1.2, 15.3), codeine cough syrup (OR equals 5.22, 95 percent CI equals 1.4, 19.5), and anti-energy drinks (OR equals 3.27, 95 percent CI equals 1.0, 1.4). Adjusted logistic regression revealed that male youth post-traumatic stress reaction is a significant predictor of marijuana use (OR equals 4.1, 95 percent CI equals 1.0, 16.5). This study shows the important link of higher drug use and self-medication among youth with higher reported posttraumatic stress reactions after natural disasters. Tables and references (Published Abstract)