Drug, Alcohol and Tobacco Use in Rural, Low-Income Families: An Ecological Risk and Resilience Perspective

This article sets a context for researchers, practitioners and policymakers for prevention and treatment of substance use among rural, low-income families. To increase understanding of the specific needs of families in rural communities, the authors use an emerging theoretical framework which combines the ecological model with a risk and resilience theoretical framework. Results of an exploratory study using data from a national sample of rural, low-income mothers are provided. Among those mothers, working several jobs correlates with drug problems, alcohol problems, and tobacco use as does poor knowledge of community resources, low satisfaction with life, and high levels of depressive symptoms.