A Scoping Review of Race/Ethnicity and Generational Status on “Party Drug” Use - CANCELLED

• In Event: Individual-Level Research Labor Force Participation, Drug Use, and Crime.

Abstract

In public discourse, immigrants have often been associated with crime and drug use. Despite these claims, the immigrant paradox suggests that although immigrants face hardships, they tend to have better overall health outcomes when compared to others facing similar challenges. Likewise, the segmented assimilation theory focuses on how immigrants and their children adapt to American society. Several factors, such as socioeconomic status, family cohesion, and cultural retention, can impact one's ability to assimilate. Although research on immigrant drug use is extensive, its focus has been primarily on “hard” drugs and not on “party drugs—which include marijuana, cocaine, and methamphetamines. Additionally, there are limited studies that have examined the link between immigrant drug use and generational status. The current study is a scoping review that assesses the literature on the relationship between race/ethnicity, immigrant generational status, and “party drug” use. We searched four databases for peer-reviewed articles conducted in the United States and published between 2000 and 2024. Despite the increased use of “party drugs” among youths, this study finds a small number of studies (N = 6) that specifically examine these links. Moreover, the studies that do exist are limited to select race/ethnic groups and generational statuses.

Authors

• Alice Assi Gouvea, Florida Atlantic University

• Diana Sun, Florida Atlantic University

• Gabriel T. Cesar, Florida Atlantic University