November 24, 2009
The Prevalence of and Motivation for Drug and Alcohol Use among Black African Minorities in England
Abeeb Olufemi Salaam
Department of Psychology, University of Surrey
Abstract
The current study examined the prevalence of and motivation for drug and alcohol use among black African minorities in England. Participants, comprising 82 males (i.e., 71.9%) and 32 females (i.e., 28.1%), aged 18 to 60 years, were recruited through contact on the streets, and from recreation centres, bus stations, train stations, and shopping centres in Liverpool, Manchester, and London. A self-report anonymous questionnaire covering drug and alcohol use and measures of impulsivity (i.e., sensation seeking, lack of premeditation, lack of perseverance and urgency) was administered. Although the results suggest a low level of illicit drug use, a significant number of the participants admitted to alcohol use. While predicting the motivation for alcohol use via the Whiteside and Lynam (2001) measures of impulsivity, a lack of premeditation was significantly attributed to motivation for alcohol use among the participants. Other impulsivity measures, such as sensation seeking, urgency, and lack of perseverance, do not appear to be significant predictors of alcohol use, but there were significant relationships between urgency, lack of premeditation and patterns of alcohol use. The implications of the findings in terms of policy formulation on drug treatment services are emphasised.
Key Words – Ethnic minorities, black African minorities, drug and alcohol use, impulsivity
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