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Home care of a chronically mentally ill relative exerts substantial physical and emotional demands on a family member. Yet, little work has examined the perspective about caregiving voiced by individuals from different ethnic groups and the comparison of this perspective with objective measures of caregiver burden. This article reviews findings from a study of 251 Mexican American and European American family caregivers of severely mentally ill relatives living in South Texas. Significant multivariate interaction effects of residence (rural/urban) and level of acculturation were found on caregiver stresses and coping responses, even when controlling for income. Analyses suggest differential vulnerability patterns for caregiver burden: In urban areas, Spanish-speaking Mexican Americans reported higher stress and greater coping efforts; whereas in rural areas, this was true instead for more acculturated Mexican Americans and European Americans. Discussion addresses differences in report of burden between standardized scaled approaches and open-ended responses and explores how the nature of caregiver burden may vary along contextual lines.

Data from a random sample of 164 Anglo, 168 African American, and 149 Mexican American male regular drinkers compare the use of cross-sectional data on current consumption patterns versus retrospective lifetime drinking history data in studying ethnic differences in "maturing out" of heavy drinking among male drinkers. Crosssectional analyses among males in their 20s, 30s, and 40s on current consumption indexes suggest that maturing out of heavy drinking may be more of an Anglo phenomenon. Drinking history analyses suggest that the process takes place in both majority and minority male drinkers in their 20s, although slightly earlier among Anglos. Although Mexican Americans were less likely to report heavy or problem drinking stages, heavy drinkers in this ethnic group reported heavy drinking earlier and for longer periods of time than did otherdrinkers. Analyses suggest that ethnic differences in the maturing out phenomenon may be more subtle than is suggested in the cross-sectional analysis.

The aim of the study was to evaluate ethnic and gender differences in the diagnostic profiles of patients first admitted to the alcohol/drug rehabilitation unit of a state hospital. The majority of the patients (66%) had more than one diagnosis. African-American patients were significantly more likely to have a single diagnosis, however. In terms of primary diagnosis, Mexican Americans were more likely to have an alcoholrelated disorder while African-Americans were more likely to have a drug related disorder Drug-related disorders also complicate the diagnostic profile of African-American patients who had a primary diagnosis of an alcohol-related disorder Ethnic differences in type of drug abused were observed. African Americans were more likely to use stimulants/hallucinogens, and Mexican Americans were more likely to use depressants. A drug-related disorder was the most common diagnosis among females across all ethnic groups. Findings pointto the need of developing gender/ethnic-sensitive treatment programs. Potential ethnic and gender biases in the diagnostic evaluation of substance abuse patients are discussed.