Young Asian American and Pacific Islanders(AAPI) are affected during their teen
years, an important development phase of their lives, by risk factors most
often identified as contributing to drug use. These risk factors include:
Pressure to succeed - There is a strong emphasis on educational success within the AAPI community.
This can be a risk factor because if youth fail to live up to their parents' expectations of academic
achievement, they may likely face criticism from the family or bring shame on the family.
Immigration and acculturation - AAPI families may experience stress caused by social
and peer pressure brought on by language differences, cultural barriers and changes in
economic status. AAPI youth face issues of balancing or merging traditional cultural
values and norms with American culture. These issues can lead to communication problems
between youth and their immigrant parents who uphold traditional values, beliefs and practices.
Denial - There is a tendency among AAPI families to hide problems, such as
substance abuse, that could bring shame on the family. According to the Center for
Substance Abuse Treatment (CSAT), "Substance abuse is not easily discussed within
many of these ethnic communities. Illicit substance abuse and dependency are
considered serious breaches of acceptable behavior. In Asian families, as well
as in families of other racial/ethnic groups, acknowledging a substance abuse
problem often leads to a significant loss of face and shame for both the individual
and the family."
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