<i>‘A‘ole</i> Drugs! Cultural Practices and Drug Resistance of Rural Hawai`ian Youths

Abstract

This qualitative study examined how Native Hawaiian youth from rural communities utilized cultural practices to promote drug resistance and/or abstinence. Forty-seven students from 5 different middle schools participated in gender specific focus groups that focused on the cultural and environmental contexts of drug use for Native Hawaiian youth. The findings described culturally specific activities that participants used in drug related problem situations. The findings also suggested that those youth with higher levels of enculturation were able to resist drugs more effectively than those youth who were disconnected from their culture. The implications of these findings for social work practice are discussed.