Ethnic–Racial Socialization, Social Bonds, and College Student Substance Use

ABSTRACT

Using survey data from a diverse college student sample (N = 1,728), this study tested how three types of parental ethnic-racial socialization received during the respondents’ youth were indirectly associated with substance use through their impact on the development of social bonds. Cultural socialization and preparation for bias messages indirectly decreased substance use, while promotion of mistrust messages indirectly increased substance use. By-group analyses indicated some ethnic and gender differences. Overall, the findings point to the importance of examining ethnic-racial socialization as a multidimensional construct in relation to social bonds to understand its impact on young adult substance use.

Acknowledgments

I thank the members of the Social Psychology Seminar at the University of California, Riverside for their comments on an earlier draft.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Matthew Grindal

MATTHEW GRINDAL is a Visiting Assistant Professor at the University of California, Riverside. His research examines the criminological and social psychological theoretical mechanisms that link cultural identity processes (i.e., ethnic identity development and ethnic–racial socialization) to the health and delinquency outcomes of adolescents and young adults.