Substance use and social capital among recent Latino immigrants in south Florida

Background: Recent Latino immigrants (RLIs)in the U.S. for 3 years or less have acculturation-related stress which can lead to changes in social capital and substance-use. There may be an association between the changes in social capital and substance-use among RLIs over time.

Methods: Longitudinal study of 527 RLIs with 2 years follow-up. Social capital was assessed through an assets inventory measuring community engagement. AUDIT questionnaire for alcohol and a ‘timeline followback' method for illicit drugs were used to assess substance-use. To analyze changes, paired t-tests and McNemar tests were performed with SPSS 18. To explore associations over time, a generalized linear model (PROC GENMOD SAS 9.3) was used

Results: Post-immigration, social capital and hazardous drinking decreased (p˂.001, p=.001).Females were 70% less likely to engage in hazardous drinking (p˂.001), and 41.2% less likely to engage in illicit drug use (p=.01). After adjusting for gender and marital status, on average, individuals with a one-unit increase in ‘friend & other social capital' were 29.6% less likely to engage in illicit drug use (p=.02); individuals with a one-unit increase in business social capital were 60% more likely to engage in illicit drug use (p=.02)

Conclusions: Post-immigration, males are more likely to engage in substance-use. Over time, individuals with less ‘friend & other' social capital, are more likely to engage in illicit drug use; individuals with higher business social capital are more likely to engage in illicit drug use. When developing interventions/treatment, public health programs should incorporate these social capital components that may affect risk.