Acculturation profiles and alcohol use among Hispanic Americans

Abstract

Hazardous alcohol use among Hispanics makes for a critical public health issue that warrants empirical examination. Whereas research shows positive associations between alcohol-related outcomes and acculturation, it is unclear how enculturation and acculturation x enculturation are linked to alcohol use. Hispanic American undergraduate and graduate students (N = 348, 61.8% women, M_age = 21.82, 83.3% undergraduates) completed questionnaires assessing their levels of acculturation, enculturation, and alcohol use. Enculturation was negatively associated with social drinking-related consequences. Acculturation was positively associated with alcohol consumption, and enculturation buffered this association. Findings highlight the utility of considering acculturation profiles in understanding Hispanic alcohol use.

Keywords:

• acculturation
• biculturalism
• culture
• ethnicity
• social norms

Notes

1 Research has shown that most Mexican Americans identify as Hispanic over Latinx Americans (Pew Research Center, 2012). Our sample consisted of predominantly Mexican Americans; thus, we used the label “Hispanic Americans” throughout the rest of the manuscript.

2 One participant identified as transgender/non-binary; their data were not included in gender difference analyses.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Savannah Pham

Savannah Pham and P. Priscilla Lui, Department of Psychology, Southern Methodist University. Measures and data analytic plan were preregistered through the Open Science Framework (OSF): https://osf.io/ctd92/?view_only=9281fd83aca14e70bfdbc9a7e89bfab7.

Preliminary results from this investigation were presented at the Research Society on Alcoholism 42nd Annual Scientific Meeting (2019), entitled, Acculturation, biculturalism, and alcohol use among Hispanic Americans.

P. Priscilla Lui

Savannah Pham and P. Priscilla Lui, Department of Psychology, Southern Methodist University. Measures and data analytic plan were preregistered through the Open Science Framework (OSF): https://osf.io/ctd92/?view_only=9281fd83aca14e70bfdbc9a7e89bfab7.

Preliminary results from this investigation were presented at the Research Society on Alcoholism 42nd Annual Scientific Meeting (2019), entitled, Acculturation, biculturalism, and alcohol use among Hispanic Americans.