Jamie J Chon, George Washington Universty, 616 23rd St. NW #408, Washington, DC 20052, 202-242-9313, Jamie_C@gwu.edu

Current substance abuse research regarding Asian-Americans is scanty and inconclusive. In the past, researchers have explored the cultural barriers in the Asian-American community regarding treatment, the perception of substance abuse in Asian-American communities, and the “model minority theory” and its influence on society's assessment of the issue. Nearly all available literature on Asian-Americans suggests that substance abuse among Asian-Americans is a mounting problem necessitating the need for an adequate model of treatment. However, in order to adequately address the impending problem of substance abuse among Asian-Americans, researchers must focus their studies on individual ethnic groups. Before researchers can efficiently evaluate models of treatment, they must explore how the youth is becoming involved with drugs, why, to what extent, and their attitudes surrounding illegal substance abuse. Acknowledging the vast cultural differences between specific Asian-American groups, this study will focus on the Korean-American substance abusing youth of Southern California. This study is aimed at describing the population and exploring the reasons for the rise in use. Information will be gathered through analysis of data from in-depth surveys self-administered to subjects. These surveys will aim to evaluate the level of usage as well as the involvement of Korean-Americans with drugs. Furthermore, these surveys will aim to yield in-depth analyses of why and how the substance abuser became involved with drugs and evaluate whether or not such factors such as cultural factors affected their illegal drug use.

Learning Objectives:

• At the conclusion of the session the learner will recognize that illegal substance abuse in the Korean-American community is a rising problem. The learner will be able to analyze the information presented and list reasons for the rise in drug use among Korean-Americans. Also, the learner will understand the importance of studying individual ethnic groups and illegal substance abuse. The learner will be able to apply the methodology as well as the ideals of this study to develop their own study. Through this session the learner will acknowledge the importance of further studying illegal substance abuse within minority ethnic groups.

Keywords: Asian Americans, Drug Abuse

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.