APPLICANT'S ABSTRACT: This project will conduct a regional survey (five southwestern states) of alcohol use and alcohol-related problems among Mexican-American 8th and 12th grade students and among White non-Hispanic youth from the same region. Dropouts from the 12th grade age cohort will also be surveyed. Comparisons will be made by grade, gender, dropout status and ethnicity on frequency and intensity of alcohol use, age first drunk, reasons for use and perceived harm. Emotional problems and behavioral problems, including drinking and driving, that result from alcohol use will be assessed to determine rates and types of problems. Structured interviews and surveys with a separate sample of Mexican- American and White non-Hispanic 12th grade students will provide details of the problem behaviors and evaluate personal, social, economic, legal, and emotional costs of alcohol-related problems. Survey and interview data obtained from parents of these 12th graders will provide collateral data so that student report and parent report indicators can be compared in latent variable models. Path models relating emotional distress and socialization characteristics and combining emotional distress and socialization characteristics will be related to substance use among Mexican-American and White non-Hispanic adolescents, with a particular emphasis on alcohol-related problems and will be compared by grade, gender, dropout status, and ethnicity. Peer variables explored in this study will include peer encouragement, peer sanctions, peer bonding, peer alcohol deviance, peer/school identification, peer school adjustment, and peer family links. Psychological characteristics include self-esteem, social alienation, feeling blamed, depression, anxiety, anger, aggression, tolerance of deviance, excitement seeking, and shyness. Socialization characteristics include family caring,family sanctions against alcohol use, religious identification, school adjustment, community bonding, parent/school bonding, parental monitoring, family communication, parental rejection, and family substance use. Cultural characteristics include generational status, identification with Hispanic culture, and identification with White non- Hispanic culture.