Objectives: To obtain rich information about how adult Latinos living in high-poverty/high-drug use neighborhoods perceive and negotiate their environment.
Methods: In 2008, 13 adult caregivers in Santiago, Chile, were interviewed with open-ended questions to ascertain beliefs about neighborhood effects and drug use.
Analysis: Inductive analysis was used to develop the codebook/identify trends.
Discussion: Residents externalized their understanding of drug use and misuse by invoking the concept of delinquent youth. A typology of their perceptions is offered. Learning more about residents' circumstances may help focus on needs-based interventions. More research with Latino neighborhoods is needed for culturally competent models of interventions.