Cultural Adherence as a Protective Factor for Risk Behavior Among Afro-Caribbean Women in the United States

Afro-Caribbean people are a major immigrant population in the United States, yet little is known about their health outcomes and practices, especially practices that buffer the effects of risk behaviors. Given the prevalence of matrifocal family structures and the importance of mother-daughter relationships, we examined the relationship between cultural adherence and risky sexual behavior, marijuana use, religiosity, transnationalism, and living in enclaves among first- and second-generation Afro-Caribbean women in the United States. Caribbean orientation, especially among those living in enclaves, was significantly related to generational status, with first-generation women reporting greater Caribbean orientation than second-generation women. First-generation women raised in Caribbean enclaves were less likely to have ever used marijuana. Clinical implications are provided for systemic family therapists to use these findings as a foundation for culturally responsive approaches for the prevention and treatment of substance use and high-risk sexual behaviors among Afro-Caribbean girls, women, and their families.