This change was partly attributed to a sharper decrease in the age of drinking onset for women compared with men born 1954 to 1983 and was most pronounced for White women but less so for Hispanic women (Grucza et al. 2008b). Studies also have begun to take into consideration the variability in alcohol consumption that exists within ethnic groups (i.e., White, Black, Hispanic, and Asian) (Dawson 1998). In four Northern tribes, male subjects drank more than female subjects, with an average of 4.7 versus 2.1 drinking days and 5.7 versus 3.1 drinks per day in the past month (May and Gossage 2001). Despite overall low rates of alcohol consumption for Asians/Pacific Islanders in the U.S. population, some subpopulations within this group show alarmingly high rates of drinking. In particular, prevalence rates of 30-day binge and heavy alcohol use for Pacific Islander groups (ages 18 or older; 26.8 percent and 12.6 percent, respectively), as reported by the 2006 NSDUH, were more than double that of other Asian groups (12.5 percent and 2.6 percent, respectively) (SAMHSA 2008c). One of our moderation analysis indicated that gender did not moderate the association between acculturation orientations and alcohol use severity.
Prevalence of Past-Year Drinking
Furthermore, the consequences of drinking appear to be more profound for Native Americans, Hispanics, and Blacks. Explanations for these differences are complex, likely affected by risky drinking behaviors, immigration experiences, racial/ethnic discrimination, economic and neighborhood disadvantage, and variations in alcohol-metabolizing genes. A more complete understanding of what was eminem addicted to these effects for ethnic minority groups is needed to enable researchers to face the challenges of reducing and ultimately eliminating health disparities in the alcohol field.
Alcohol Use Disorders
Similarly, as examined by gender, Puerto Rican (15.3 percent) and Mexican-American (15.1 percent) men have higher rates of alcohol dependence than South/Central-American (9.0 percent) and Cuban-American (5.3 percent) men (Caetano et al. 2008a). Among Hispanic women, Puerto Ricans (6.4 percent) had higher rates relative to Mexican (2.1 percent), Cuban (1.6 percent), and South/Central Americans (0.8 percent). The majority (approximately 90 percent) of all primary liver cancers are hepatocellular carcinomas (HCC) (Altekruse et al. 2009).
Acculturation and Alcohol: What Did We Learn?
- Of all ethnic groups, white Hispanic men have the highest rates of alcohol-related medical conditions (like liver cirrhosis), while black Hispanic men (from the Caribbean, the Dominican Republic, or Cuba) have the lowest–even when compared with non-Hispanic white adults.
- The fields of developmental psychology and epidemiology indicate that emerging adulthood (ages 18–25 years) is a period in which people tend to drink most heavily in comparison to adolescents and older adults (Sussman & Arnett, 2014; Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration SAMHSA, 2018).
- People with multiethnic backgrounds also are not well represented by these general groups.
- Additionally, Beals et al. (2005) found, relative to Northern Plains Indians, that Southwest Indians are less likely to report past-year (4.5 versus 9.8 percent) and lifetime (9.8 versus 16.6 percent) alcohol dependence, with lower rates for women regardless of tribe affiliation.
- A recent study by Strunin, Edwards, Godette, and Heeren (2007) reported that foreign-born Mexican American females were less likely to be drinkers and less likely to drink heavily than US-born females.
Among female current drinkers, Puerto Ricans report a higher weekly consumption (9.5 drinks), which is almost three times higher than the rate for other women. The t-tests indicated significant differences in weekly alcohol consumption between Puerto Rican and Cuban American women; between Puerto Rican and Mexican American women; and between Puerto Rican and D/SC women. Of all ethnic groups, white Hispanic men have the highest rates of alcohol-related medical conditions (like liver cirrhosis), while black Hispanic men (from the Caribbean, the Dominican Republic, or Cuba) have the lowest–even when compared with non-Hispanic white adults. Generally, Latino American men progress from liver impairment to liver disease at higher rates than others. Latino Americans represent the second-largest ethnic group in the U.S. (behind Caucasians) and were the fastest-growing group in 2015. The U.S. population of Latino Americans is approximately 58 million, 18% of the total population in 2016.
It examines such social harms as driving under the influence and alcohol-attributed violence but primarily focuses on health harms like fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS), liver diseases, and cancers. The fields of developmental psychology and epidemiology indicate that emerging adulthood (ages 18–25 years) is a period in which people tend to drink most heavily in comparison to adolescents and older adults (Sussman & Arnett, 2014; Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration SAMHSA, 2018). For instance, in the United States (U.S.), emerging adults report the highest prevalence of all age groups in terms of current alcohol use (56.3%), binge drinking (36.9%), heavy drinking (9.6%), and alcohol use disorder (10.7%; SAMHSA, 2018). Compared to other racial/ethnic groups, Hispanic (inclusive of Latinos, Latinas, and Latinx) emerging adults had the second-highest prevalence of current alcohol use (50.1%), binge drinking (32.9%), and heavy drinking (8.0%), and the third-highest prevalence of alcohol use disorder (10.7%; SAMHSA, 2018). The higher level of risky drinking for Native Americans and Hispanic men and the increased occurrence of alcohol consequences for Native Americans, Hispanics, and Blacks may indicate a greater need for alcohol treatment in these populations. For Native American men, Beals et al. (2005) reported more help seeking from specialty alcohol or drug treatment providers relative to the U.S. population, but there were no differences for women.
Most women (88 percent) who reported being pregnant and also a drinker at any point in the past 12 months indicated that they did not drink during pregnancy. Rates of past-year alcohol abuse (0.8 percent to 2.3 percent) and dependence (1.2 percent to 2.8 percent) were similar and low in White, Black, Hispanic, and Asian pregnant women. Binge drinking and alcohol consumption without binge drinking among pregnant women were highest in Whites (21.1 percent and 45.0 percent, respectively) compared with other ethnic groups (0 percent to 10.7 percent and 21.0 percent to 37.3 percent). However, other studies found that Black, Hispanic, and Asian women were less likely to reduce or quit heavy drinking after becoming pregnant (Morris et al. 2008; Tenkku et al. 2009).
For instance, Mexican Americans have higher rates of drinking and of frequent heavy drinking (Caetano, 1988; Caetano & Galvan, 2001), and a higher mean frequency of drinking five or more drinks on the same occasion (Dawson, 1998) than the other Hispanic groups. Research on alcohol consumption in other Hispanic national groups is sparse and is not based on representative samples of these national groups (e.g., Caetano, 1988; Dawson, 1998; Caetano & Galvan, 2001). However, the existing comparisons of men show that abstention is higher among Puerto Rican men (58 vs. 39%) and rates of frequent drinking are higher among Cuban American men (28 vs. 15%) (Caetano & Galvan, 2001), but in moderate volume similar to the case of non-Hispanic Whites (Black & Markides, 1994). Thus, we can identify different drinking patterns across Mexican Americans, Puerto Ricans, and Cuban Americans. Mexican Americans have a lower abstention rate and relatively higher frequency of consuming five or more drinks on occasion compared with Puerto Ricans. Although Cuban Americans do not have a high rate of abstention, they have lower rate of drinking five or more drinks on occasion compared with Mexican Americans.
Native Americans have higher mortality rates for alcoholic liver disease than other U.S. ethnic groups (see figure). To our knowledge, the HCHS/SOL study is the largest contemporary study to examine alcohol use and contributing factors among diverse Hispanic/Latino heritage groups. Results from this study show that prevalence and patterns of alcohol use vary among Hispanics/Latinos of diverse heritage, as well as by sex. Given the growing numbers of Mexican background individuals in the US, more research is needed to further examine factors that may contribute to at-risk alcohol use among this group. Further, more research is needed to examine acculturation levels and potential mediators (e.g., acculturative stress) and at-risk drinking for Hispanic/Latina women.