Alcohol use among adult recent Latino/a immigrants: the role of stress, forced migration, and adherence to traditional gender roles

ABSTRACT

Background: Previous research conducted among Latino/a immigrants has shown the underlying effect that exposure to stress after immigrating to the U.S. (i.e. health access, racial/ethnic discrimination, and language barriers) has on alcohol use patterns. However, given the demographic shifts in recent immigrants, understanding the influence of stress before (i.e. poverty, healthcare, and educational opportunities) and after immigration on their alcohol use (i.e. alcohol consumption and drinking behaviors in the past 12 months) in the context of migration and traditional gender roles is warranted.

Objectives: To examine the (a) cumulative effects of pre- to post-immigration stress, (b) respective moderating effects of traditional gender roles, and (c) forced migration on alcohol use for men and women.

Methods: Hierarchical multiple regression and moderation analyses were conducted on a cross-sectional sample of 529 (N = 268 men, N = 261 women) adult (18–34 years) from recent Latino/a immigrants in South Florida.

Results: Gender had a statistically significant difference on alcohol use, (F 527) = 18.68, p < .001, with men (p = 4.36 ± SE =.22) reporting higher alcohol use than women (p = 3.08 ± SE =.20). Post-immigration stress (β = .12, p = .03) but not pre-migration stress had a statistically significant association with alcohol use. There is no interaction effect by traditional gender roles and forced migration on the associations between pre- to post-immigration stress and alcohol use.

Conclusion: Results suggest that post-immigration stress may be a reasonable intervention target to mitigate alcohol use among recent Latino/a immigrants, particularly among men.

KEYWORDS:

• Latino/A immigrants
• stress
• forced migration
• alcohol use
• gender roles

Acknowledgments

We would like to acknowledge the support provided by the Robert Stempel College of Public Health & Social Work at the Florida International University (FIU). This article is part of the dissertation of Ms. Vicky Vazquez-Barrios for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Public Health.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

We would like to thank the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) for supporting this study under Award 1F31AA028723-01A1 (Vazquez-Barrios, PI) and Award 1R01AA025720-01A1 (R01AA025720; PIs: Romano/Sanchez). The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the NIH.