The current influx of Mexican farm workers consists largely of transnational migrants working in agricultural industries across the United States. The very limited anecdotal, clinical, and scientific evidence suggest increasing non-alcohol drug use among these migrant workers. The evidence does not, however, consider the how and why of such drug use, as previous field studies with alcohol use have done. The proposed research will, first, determine and describe types or patterns (e.g., kinds of drugs and frequency of use) and the circumstances of drug use (e.g., recreational or work-related). Second, the contribution of predisposing characteristics, situational factors, and drug-availability to the drug use types will be explored. To what degree is drug use among Mexican migrants a deviant or subcultural phenomenon, and to what degree is it an emerging or an extension of existing normative behavior embedded in rural Mexico? To answer this question, two complementary field studies will be conducted of Mexican migrants working in the mushroom farms of southeastern Pennsylvania. One, a community-level ethnography will be constructed from a field study of direct observation, focus group, and informant interviews to identify the types or patterns of drug use among the farm workers, and the factors associated with them. Two, case studies of 12 migrants, based on in-depth interviews, genealogies, and collateral interviews will help to verify and elaborate the ethnographic findings and to describe the relationship of the factors to each other and to drug use. The case study subjects will reflect the demographic characteristics of the farm workers and categories of living arrangements derived from previous research at the site. This qualitative approach of the field studies not only helps to identify the complexity of drug use in a unique community, but also is necessary in gaining access to a sensitive issue in a """"""""hidden population"""""""". The data will be analyzed and summarized using a computer data management system for cross-verification of the various sources and across levels (i.e., community and individual). The findings of the research will provide direction for understanding the increasing drug use among migrants, for intervention and prevention programs with this population, and for designing future research with this growing population. The time frame of the study is two years: one year of intensive field studies, and additional year for analyzing data and writing reports. ? ?
| Garcia, Victor; Gonzalez, Laura (2011) Participatory Research Challenges in Drug Abuse Studies Among Transnational Mexican Migrants. Open Anthropol J 4:3-11 |
| Garcia, Victor (2009) Binational Substance Abuse Research and Internal Review Boards: Human Subject Risks and Suggestions for Protections. Hum Organ 68:350-357 |
| Garcia, Victor (2007) Meeting a binational research challenge: substance abuse among transnational Mexican farmworkers in the United States. J Rural Health 23 Suppl:61-7 |
