Author Identifier
Date of Award
2026
Keywords
cultural values, acculturation, immigrant youth, African Australian youth, flourishing, bicultural identity integration, alcohol use, other drug use, alcohol and other drug use prevention and intervention
Document Type
Thesis
Publisher
Edith Cowan University
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy
School
School of Arts and Humanities
First Supervisor
Justine Dandy 
0000-0003-3871-364X
Second Supervisor
Kwadwo Adusei-Asante 0000-0002-1343-8234
Third Supervisor
Sonam Pelden 0000-0003-3224-0212
Abstract
The frequent use and misuse of Alcohol and other Drugs (AOD) have become part of youth culture in most Western countries such as Australia (Nash, 2025). Although previous studies in Australia have examined factors that influence youth AOD use, comparatively few studies have focused exclusively on youth from minority ethnic and/or migrant backgrounds such as sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). It is important to acknowledge that SSA Australian youth are an emerging population for AOD use research and intervention (Mwanri & Mude, 2021a). Several reasons could account for AOD use by SSA Australian youth but understanding the role of social psychological and cultural factors is particularly important because these factors serve as primary ecological reasons that could shape their identity, individual norms and beliefs in relation to AOD use behaviours (Sudhinaraset et al., 2016). In this thesis, I argue that the values and acculturation experiences of SSA Australian youth are pertinent social and cultural factors that could help in understanding their AOD use outcomes. Therefore, my research project adopted an exploratory sequential mixed methods towards addressing two interrelated aims: first, to explore how SSA Australian conceptualize their heritage cultural values in relation to SSA youth AOD use; second, to investigate how SSA Australian youth integrate their bicultural identities and its relationship with their AOD use outcomes within the context of their values.
Before conducting the empirical studies towards addressing the research aims, I conducted a systematic literature review for two main reasons. First, to establish whether there are cultural values and practices that are related to AOD use among immigrant youth from non-Western backgrounds in Western countries. Secondly, to ascertain whether there are variations in these cultural factors across sociodemographic settings. The results indicated that irrespective of immigrant youth’s sociodemographic factors, most of the identified cultural values and practices were collectivistic in orientation and they are protective against AOD use, even though some serve as risk-enhancing for AOD use. It is also significant to note that most of the included studies were conducted among immigrant youth from Latino, Hispanic, and Asian cultural backgrounds in the U.S context. By implication, our understanding of cultural values and practices as either risk-enhancing or protective factors in AOD use is limited, especially among immigrant youth from SSA backgrounds and outside the U.S. context.
Based on an Africentric worldview of values, I used Metz's (2017) exposition of Ubuntu and S. H. Schwartz's (2012) values as an integrated socioecological framework for establishing how values are related to AOD use by SSA Australian youth. In the thesis I then present findings from two studies, by building on the results from an initial qualitative study (study 1, interviews with 9 SSA Australian leaders and 9 SSA Australian youth) to test a quantitative predictive model (study 2, n = 196 SSA Australian youth).
In study 1, I proposed that SSA Australian youth undergo enculturation to their heritage cultural values, which are negatively related to AOD use expectations. From a reflexive thematic analysis of the qualitative interviews, the results showed that the participants’ conceptualization of SSA values in relation to youth AOD use is based on three main Collectivistic themes of Family, Communality, and Religiosity. The sub-themes of rebellion due to strict parenting, parental alcohol use, and peer influence were risk-enhancing cultural factors. On the other hand, the protective cultural factors in SSA Australian youth’s AOD use were in the sub-themes of respect for parental efforts and reputation, parental guidance, communal responsibilities and expectations, social stigma against AOD users, and religious commitment.
In study 2, I relied on Deci and Ryan's (1985) Self-Determination Theory (SDT) to argue that SSA Australian youth make self-determined decisions by applying their values to their psychological flourishing and integrating their bicultural identities in relation to AOD use. In line with my hypothesis, participants’ endorsement of Collectivistic (Self-transcendence and Conservation) values was negatively related to their AOD use. As expected, their endorsement of Individualistic (Self-enhancement) values was positively related to their AOD use. These findings indicate that SSA Australian youth make self-determined decisions regarding AOD use by applying either their Collectivistic or Individualistic values within the context of their psychological flourishing and bicultural identity integration.
Overall, the findings from both studies contribute to the theoretical and conceptual understanding of values in AOD use by SSA Australian youth. This is in the sense that their personal values could influence their acculturation outcomes in relation to AOD use. The findings have important theoretical implications for further cross-cultural psychological research among immigrant youth, such as the investigation of values at all levels of their ecological framework in relation to AOD use. Additionally, the findings could inform the development of culturally relevant AOD use prevention and treatment interventions for migrant youth from SSA and other ethnic minority backgrounds.
Access Note
Access to this thesis is embargoed until 10th October 2031
Recommended Citation
Kenin, A. (2026). Values and acculturation in alcohol and other drug use of African Australian youth. Edith Cowan University. https://doi.org/10.25958/402w-fq05