Inner-city, low-income women of Hispanic origin are a population at high risk for adopting substance abuse behaviors which endanger not only their own lives, but often the lives of their children. Finding ways to prevent these women from initiation or continued drug use is of utmost importance.
The specific aims of this proposal are two: (1) to select, modify, and pilot test existing data collection instruments which measure the Social Stress Model for Substance Abuse Prevention's key psychosocial constructs (stress, competence, social support and community resources) for use with Hispanic childbearing age women, and (2) to prepare 4-6 case studies consonant with the social and cultural context in which Hispanic inner-city childbearing women live, which will bolster resiliency to drug abuse and other high risk behaviors. These two achievements are essential and initial steps needed to implement the broader long-term program of research to prevent substance abuse among inner-city Black and Hispanic women who are at high risk to substance abuse and HIV infection. Expert and lay panels will participate in the selection, modification and translation of established data collection instruments. These instruments will be pilot tested on a voluntary convenience sample of Hispanic women of childbearing age (18-34) recruited during a routine prenatal clinic visit.
