Latino cultural motivation as a predictor of self-efficacy to avoid drug use among Latinos in residential substance abuse treatment

Ethnic identity formation among Latinos has been identified as a potential protective factor against several negative health outcomes (e.g., depression (Umaña-Tayler & Updegraff, 2006)), and positively associated with self-esteem (Phinney et al., 1997). Other evidence suggests that strong familial bonds (familism) may be another protective mechanism for these positive outcomes (Castro et al., 2007). Recovering drug dependent men often undergo the process of new identity formation during treatment to become more socially-involved. To test a hypothesis on personal and familial factors in recovery, the current study investigated the unique effects of Latino cultural motivation and familism, as potential protective factors against drug relapse. Participants were 99 Latino males in residential drug treatment, aged 22-62 (M=38.9), 82% identified as Mexican/Mexican American/Chicano, 62% were U.S. native. A 10-item Familism Scale (α=.85), and a 12-item Latino Cultural Motivation Scale (α=.83) were used as predictors of a 9-item scale of Self-Efficacy in Avoiding Relapse (α=.83). A hierarchical OLS regression analysis was conducted to examine these predictors of self-efficacy in avoiding relapse. Results indicated that Familism is a significant predictor for relapse avoidance, F(1, 97)=4.29, p<.05. The addition of Latino Cultural Motivation was also significant, above and beyond the effects of Familism F(2, 96)=5.87, p<.01. These results suggest the importance of family bonding in recovery from drug dependence among male Latinos, and also underscore the importance of developing strong motivation to re-integrate into one's culture. These results implicate the value of Latino familial and cultural identification for effective recovery from drug addiction among Latino males.