Ethnic identification and alcohol use among Canadian-born and foreign-born high school students in Toronto

Abstract

Unlike other demographic and sociopsychological correlates of student alcohol and other drug use, the variable of ethnic identification and its possible effects on student substance use have not received adequate attention from researchers. This paper seeks to examine the relationship between ethnic identification and alcohol use on the basis of data collected from a survey of 667 high school students in Toronto. Results show that when other variables (sociodemographic, school, family, availability, and informal social control) are controlled for, the relationship between ethnic identification and alcohol use remains significant in Canadian-born students but not in foreign-born students. Also, foreign-born students are found to exhibit lower levels of alcohol use than their Canadian-born counterparts, regardless of cultural origin. Implications of the findings for future studies of ethnicity and alcohol/drug use and for prevention efforts are discussed.