Community Risk and Resiliency Factors Related to Drug Use of Rural Native Hawaiian Youth: An Exploratory Study

Abstract

This exploratory, qualitative study examined the community-based risk and resiliency factors related to the drug use of rural Native Hawaiian youth. Forty-seven youth from five middle schools participated in focus groups that examined the ecological context of drug use for rural Hawaiian youth. Findings indicated that youth in the study were part of large extended networks of families and that these networks became a defining characteristic of the rural communities in the study. These familial networks functioned as sources of risk and protection related to drug use for youth participants. Implications for community-based practice are discussed.