Watts, Thomas D.

Dr. Thomas D. Watts is Professor of Social Work at The University of Texas at Arlington. He teaches courses on Social Welfare Policy. He has published works on comparative and international social welfare, substance abuse policies, and other social welfare topics. His previous scholarly contributions include Hispanic Substance Abuse, edited by Raymond Sánchez Mayers, Barbara L. Kail, and Thomas D. Watts (Charles C. Thomas Publishers).

Alcohol Abuse and Acculturation Among Puerto Ricans in the United States: A Sociological Study

2005 0-7734-6105-1
This book details an exploratory research study that was conducted to examine the associations between acculturation, stress, alcohol consumption and other variables in a sample of 100 Puerto Rican alcohol users residing in the state of Massachusetts. The study relied on a cross sectional survey and a non probability sample. The data collected included acculturation scores, acculturation stress scores, data on the use of alcohol and other drugs, and demographic information. Comparisons were made among sample subjects based on gender, place of birth, acculturation levels, and educational levels.

No statistically significant differences were found among subjects in the low, partial and high acculturation categories in terms of their levels of acculturative stress, or their frequency and amount of alcohol consumption. Significant associations were found, however, between stress and alcohol and illegal drug use. Findings suggest that the associations between alcohol/drug use and stress were significantly stronger among female and United States-born subjects. Study findings also suggest differences between Puerto Rican and other Latino alcohol users in the United States. The main focus of this study was not to test hypotheses but to help generate hypotheses. For this reason, after exploring the associations between a number of variables, the book concludes by providing research ideas and by recommending 12 hypotheses to be tested in future research.

Alcohol Problems and Minority Youth

1989 0-88946-297-6
Analyzes alcohol use/abuse, alcoholism prevention, and alcoholism treatment among black, Hispanic, and Amerindian youth in the United States.