ABSTRACT
There is increasing interest in the relationship between ethnicity and substance-abuse behavior in the United States, but the lack of empirical information limits our understanding of Asian Pacific Americans and their particular patterns of substance abuse (Austin, Prendergast, & Lee, 1989; Johnson & Nishi, 1976; Trimble, Padilla, & Bell, 1987). The research literature provides mixed findings about the nature and extent of substance use problems among Asian Pacific Americans. For example, a number of survey studies have found that Asian Pacific American groups do not seem to abuse illicit substances as frequently as other non-Asian Pacific groups. In contrast, clinical and anecdotal evidence suggests that serious substance abuse problems exist for certain Asian Pacific populations (Nakashima, 1986). There is an obvious need for more empirical work on Asian Pacifics that can facilitate effective prevention and treatment of substance abuse problems in these communities.
