The Relationship between Cultural Identification, Family Socialization and Adolescent Alcohol Use among Native American Families

The enculturation or teaching of Native American traditions to Native American adolescents has been incorporated into substance-use prevention interventions in recent decades; yet, little is known about how enculturation may impact substance use through family socialization. The current study aimed to test the relationship between family identification with Native American culture and alcohol use among Native American families residing on or near a reservation, and determine if this relationship was mediated by family socialization practices. To achieve this aim, data (n = 2368) collected as part of the NIDA-funded Drug Use among Young American Indians was used. No direct relationship was found between identification with Native American culture and alcohol use. Native American culture had an indirect effect on substance use through family communication and parental monitoring, such that a higher identification with Native American culture was associated with more communication and less monitoring, which were associated with drinking behavior. Findings reveal that identification with Native American culture may be related to family socialization, a relationship that could be important to address when designing alcohol-use prevention interventions for this population.