Gender, acculturation, and alcohol-related consequences among college students of color

Abstract

Objective

The present study examined if identification with mainstream American culture (acculturation) and heritage culture (enculturation) are differentially associated with blackouts and other drinking consequences among male and female college students of color.

Participants

Participants were college students (N = 150) who self-identified as a racial/ethnic minority and endorsed blackouts in the past year.

Methods

Regression models were used to examine gender-by-acculturation/enculturation interaction effects on alcohol-induced blackout and other alcohol-related consequences.

Results

While acculturation was not significantly associated with either drinking outcome, enculturation showed a significant relationship with blackout frequency. Gender moderated this relationship; greater enculturation was associated with increased blackout frequency among male but not female students.

Conclusions

The present findings suggest the importance of considering the interplay between enculturation and gender in understanding alcohol use among college students of color. Men who endorse high levels of enculturation may be at an increased risk of experiencing negative drinking-related consequences.

Keywords:

• Alcohol
• bidimensional model
• blackouts
• enculturation
• minority

Conflict of interest disclosure

The authors have no conflicts of interest to report. The authors confirm that the research presented in this article met the ethical guidelines, including adherence to the legal requirements, of the United States of America and received approval from the Brown University.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by a Research Excellence Award (PI Miller) from the Center for Alcohol and Addiction Studies at Brown University. Investigators were also supported by research grants from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (K23AA026895, PI Miller; K01AA022938, PI Merrill; T32AA013526, PI Sher). NIH had no role in study design; data collection, analysis, or interpretation; manuscript preparation; or the decision to submit the paper for publication. The authors have no conflicts of interest to report.