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

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

Bertranna Muruthi, Carolyn Shivers, Amanda McRell, J Bermudez and Jose ZÁrate
Journal of systemic therapies, v 45(1)
01 Mar 2026
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1521/jsyt.2026.45.1.66

Abstract

Caribbean cultural groups Cultural factors Cultural sensitivity Families & family life Family therapists Health status High risk Marijuana Mother-daughter relations Parent-child relations Protective factors Religiosity Risk behavior Risk factors Second generation Systemic therapy Therapists Transnationalism Women Immigrants Medical Treatment Sexual Behavior Substance Abuse Substance Abuse Treatment
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.

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