Andres Gil

Florida International University | FIU · Division of Research

This descriptive study employed a within-groups analytic approach to examine patterns of sexual risk behavior and co-occurring general and race/ethnicity-specific risk and protective factors in a community sample of African-American youth (n = 436). Cluster analysis was used to classify young adults by levels of self-reported past year sexual risk...

Alcohol and drug use is prevalent among juvenile offenders and many of the risk factors that predict delinquent behavior also predict adolescent drug use. This study examined the impact of self-reported risk factors on treatment outcomes and recidivism among Latino, Anglo, and African American juvenile offenders. Risk factors included family struct...

While it has been suggested that mistrust of the dominant White society may be an important protective factor for some members of racial minorities, the question of whether mistrust may also be related to nonnormative behaviors among minority members has not been explored. Using survey data from Miami, Florida, this study empirically tests this hyp...

Drug progression models have been a cornerstone of scientific and public policy discussions for decades. These models have been criticized for their lack of causal mechanisms leading to drug dependence. Future research should focus on identification of pathways and covariates. This study re-examines tobacco use onset and progression to drug depende...

To review current knowledge about the most effective school-based interventions for child and adolescent problems, and to present dilemmas and potential solutions in mounting and evaluating school-based interventions for adolescent alcohol and other drug (AOD) use problems. Two literature reviews were conducted: (1) a broad and encompassing review...

This study presents preliminary analyses examining the effects of an alcohol and other drug use (AOD) intervention with minority juvenile offenders. Furthermore, the study investigates the impact of cultural factors on baseline AOD use among Hispanic and African American youth, as well as on treatment outcome. Participants were 213 juvenile offende...

This study documents significant associations among lifetime abuse experiences, psychiatric diagnoses, and sexual risk behaviors in a multiethnic community sample of young men and women (N = 1803) in South Florida. Self-report data were collected via structured interviews as part of a longitudinal follow-up of a larger school-based study. Participa...

We examined the associations among early-adolescent substance use, subsequent young-adult substance use disorders, and psychiatric disorders among a community sample of males. Early-adolescent data were collected in classroom surveys (1990-1993), and young-adult data were collected in face-to-face interviews (1998-2000). We found strong association...

Self-reported substance use and delinquent behavior were assessed yearly, 3 times beginning in the sixth or seventh grade, for a multiethnic sample of middle school students (n= 5,045). Both substance use and delinquent behavior became more prevalent across early adolescence, but only a small fraction of adolescents were using illicit substances at...

This cross-sectional study documents significant associations between patterns of sexual risk behaviors and psychiatric diagnoses in a multiethnic community sample of young adults (N = 1803) in South Florida. Self-report data regarding sexual behavior and psychiatric symptoms were collected in structured interviews in a follow-up of an earlier scho...

This study has two goals, to estimate drug use trends among Latino adolescents in states where the majority reside, and evaluate methodologies used to gather this information to improve their quality. State surveys provide the only source ofestimates ofdrug use by ethnic groups at this geographic level. Presumably, these data are used to evaluate n...

Several investigators have questioned the validity of the DSM-IV Alcohol Use Disorders criteria for diagnosing alcohol use problems among teenagers, with specific concerns about their utility across different subgroups. In the current study, we examined whether particular racial/ethnic or gender subgroups varied in the incidence and onset age of Al...

This study examines the relationship between risk factors experienced during adolescence by African Americans and European Americans and DSM-IV alcohol dependence and marijuana abuse or dependence in early adulthood. The authors followed a cohort of adolescents from 1990-91 (grades 6 and 7) to 1998-2000 (ages 19-21), evaluating risk factors during...

Prevalence rates of psychiatric and substance use disorders among young adults in South Florida are presented. Unique aspects of the study include the large sample size, its ethnic diversity, and the fact that a substantial proportion of Hispanic participants were foreign born. This study builds on a previous cohort study of students who entered mi...

This article advances our understanding of factors associated with patterns and consequences of early alcohol involvement among Latino teens, with an emphasis on how nativity may influence longitudinal relations among variables including acculturation, familism, and alcohol involvement. Following a comparative presentation of alcohol use prevalence...

This study examines the effects of family structure and family environments on the initiation of illicit drug use among a sample of U.S.- and foreign-born Hispanic/Latino, African American, and White non-Hispanic adolescent boys (N = 3413). Bivariate and multivariate analyses with longitudinal data, three years, were used to assess transitional/tem...

Findings from a longitudinal study are presented on the relationships between the problems and stresses resulting from Hurricane Andrew and posthurricane minor deviant behavior. The sample (N = 4,978) included Hispanic, African-American, and White non-Hispanic middle school students enrolled in Dade County, Florida public schools. Two waves of data...

Longitudinal findings are presented on lifetime, past-year, and magnitude of use of cigarettes, alcohol, and illicit drugs among non-Hispanic White (NHW), African-American, Cuban, Nicaraguan, Colombian, and Puerto Rican adolescent boys. Data collection took place in fall of 1991 as Ss entered 6th and 7th grades (Time 1 [T1]), in August 1992 (T2), a...

A multiracial/multiethnic sample of middle school adolescents and their teachers was used to assess whether teacher ratings of student behavior problems varied according to teacher-student racial/ethnic differences and students' perception of teachers' attitudes toward them. No significant mean score differences were found for Hispanic or non-Hispa...

This empirical study examines the behavioral sequelae of acculturation strains among Latino adolescents in home ans school settings. Two theoretically derived hypotheses are tested. First, low acculturation Latinos experiencing strains associated wsith rapid cultural and language transitions will have more behavior problems reported by their parent...

Empirical studies have successfully demonstrated the connection between adolescent delinquent behavior and illicit substance abuse (Bachman, O’Malley, & Johnston, 1978; Brook, Whiteman, Gordon, Nomura, & Brook, 1986; Kandel, 1978, 1980; White, Johnson, & Gozansky-Garrison, 1985). However, the specific nature and direction of the relationships conti...

This paper presents a comparative analysis of the prevalence of stressful life events and of the relationships between stressful life events and alcohol, illicit drug, and cigarette use among a multi-ethnic community sample (N = 2,446) of early adolescent boys. The data were derived from a longitudinal study of substance use behaviors and their psy...

This paper presents a comparative analysis of the effects of acculturation and acculturative stress on the self-esteem of Hispanic/Latino adolescents. The study is comparative in that it focuses on variations among both immigrant and native-born Hispanics. The data were derived from a longitudinal study of adolescents (n = 6,760) being conducted in...

This paper presents a comparative analysis of the effects of acculturation and acculturative stress on the self-esteem of Hispanic/Latino adolescents. The study is comparative in that it focuses on variations among both immigrant and native-born Hispanics. The data were derived from a longitudinal study of adolescents (n = 6,760) being conducted in...

Uses data derived from a study of 6th- and 7th-grade Cuban American adolescents in the greater Miami, Florida, area. The effects of immigrant cultural adjustment on the behavior of adolescents, especially deviant behavior, has been a subject of interest for decades. However, heretofore, little empirical research has been conducted. Key findings ind...