¡Celebrando Familias!

• The Hispanic population has a significantly higher percentage of physical problems related to alcohol.
• The rate of placement for Hispanic children in foster care due to abuse or neglect is 4/1000 – significantly higher than for Whites or Asian/Pacific Islanders.
• The Hispanic population is more at risk for addiction as adults, as the age of initiation and continued use are highly associated with the development of dependency in adulthood:
  • In 8th grade, Hispanic students have higher drinking rates than Whites; the highest rate of occasions of heavy drinking; and the highest use rates of marijuana, crack, cocaine powder, heroin, and tranquilizers.
  • In the 12th grade Hispanics have the highest lifetime, annual, and 30-day prevalence-of-use rates for inhalants, cocaine, heroin, crack, and crystal methamphetamine (ice) and the highest lifetime and annual rates for heroin with a needle.
• Nationally, 51 percent of Hispanic children have experienced at least one Adverse Childhood Experience (ACE), compared with 40 percent of white, non-Hispanic children and 23 percent of Asian non-Hispanic children.​
• The most common ACEs for all races/ethnicities are economic hardship, divorce and separation of parent or guardian. For Hispanic children, the next-most common are living with an adult with a substance use problem and parental incarceration.​
• Even though Hispanics have high rates of abstinence from alcohol, Hispanics who choose to drink are more likely to consume higher volumes of alcohol than non-Hispanic whites.
• The response to the Covid-19 pandemic may be amplifying some ACEs. The pandemic and its response has disproportionately affected low-income and ethnic minority populations, already at increased risk for ACE-impacted chronic conditions.

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For additional resources in Spanish for families affected by substance use disorders>>