Eitle, D. J., & Eitle, T. M. (2013). Methamphetamine use among rural white and native American adolescents: An application of the stress process model. Journal of drug education, 43(3), 203-221.
Abstract
National studies have suggested that Native Americans1 have the highest rates of methamphetamine use (Oetting et al., 2000; Iritani, Hallfors, & Bauer, 2007) with results from one national survey (National Longitudinal Survey of Adolescent Health) suggesting that Native American youth had a substantially (i.e., 4.2 odds ratio) heightened risk of past year methamphetamine use relative to non-Hispanic whites (Iritani, Hallfors, & Bauer, 2007). This racial disparity is particularly significant because of the severity of negative consequences associated with methamphetamine use. Methamphetamine use has been associated with an increased risk of morbidity (National Institute on Drug Abuse, 1998) and evidence suggests that methamphetamine use can produce acute physical problems including hyperthermia, palpitations, chills, hyper motor activity, kidney failure, mental confusion, tremors, and dizziness (Brown, Wise & Kiyatkin, 2003; National Institute on Drug Abuse, 1998; 2002; Herman-Stahl et al., 2007). An array of longer-term consequences have also been identified, including adverse consequences such as depression, paranoia, aggression, anxiety, mood swings, financial problems, legal and work problems and psychoses. When the drug is injected, there is a clear risk of hepatitis and HIV exposure (Lucas, 1997).
Yet to date, most studies of methamphetamine use have focused on describing the nature and extent of use and related behaviors (Oetting et al., 2000; Iritani, Hallfors, & Bauer, 2007). Our review of the literature revealed no studies exploring theoretical explanations for racial differences in methamphetamine use. In the present study, we examine risk and protective factors associated with self-reported methamphetamine use among a sample of Native American and non-Hispanic white adolescents from a rural state in the Northwest United States. We employ a stress process framework in this exploratory study to examine the correlates of methamphetamine use.