Together, these and other studies suggest that culturally tailored alcohol treatment programs are likely solutions for addressing disparities in alcohol treatment for ethnic minority groups (Schmidt et al. 2006). The majority (approximately 90 percent) of all primary liver cancers are hepatocellular carcinomas (HCC) (Altekruse et al. 2009). Alcohol-related and non–alcohol-related liver cirrhosis usually precede HCC and are the two most common risk factors (Altekruse et al. 2009; El-Serag 2011; Pelucchi et al. 2006). The relative risk for developing this cancer increases with increased levels of alcohol consumption (Pelucchi et al. 2006). By ethnic group, 2003–2005 age-adjusted incidence rates for HCC per 100,000 persons were highest among Asians (11.7), followed by Hispanics (8.0), Blacks (7.0), Native Americans (6.6), and Whites (3.9) (Altekruse et al. 2009). Death rates for HCC per 100,000 people also are higher among minority groups (i.e., 8.9, 6.7, 5.8, 4.9, and 3.5 for Asians, Hispanics, Blacks, Native Americans, and Whites, respectively).
Substance use among women who are pregnant: Examining treatment completion by race and ethnicity
However, a study by Mulia and colleagues (2009) of current drinkers in the United States showed that Whites consumed less alcohol than Hispanics and more than Blacks. The differences between these two studies could reflect a higher rate of abstinence from alcohol among Hispanics (25.7 percent) compared with Whites (13.4 percent) in the U.S. population (Chen et al. 2006). The study that included abstainers (Caetano et al. 2010), who by definition consume zero drinks, showed higher drinking volume for Whites, whereas the study excluding abstainers (Mulia et al. 2009) reported higher volume for Hispanics. Other ethnic minority groups with higher abstinence rates include Blacks (24.7 percent) and Asians (39.1 percent). Liver cirrhosis is one alcohol-attributed disease that has more severe consequences for some ethnic groups.
Using data from the 2001–2002 NESARC, Caetano and colleagues (2006) examined alcohol consumption, binge drinking, and alcohol abuse and dependence among women who were pregnant during the past year. 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.
Raul Caetano, M.D., M.P.H., Ph.D.
However, in spite of this increase, women in the oldest age group still drink less than those in the youngest age group. Self-reported past-month use of alcohol in Hispanic adolescents (15.8%) was generally consistent with the national average of past-month alcohol use for individuals between the ages of 12 and 17 (16%). Approximately 9.9% of Latino Americans qualified as having an alcohol use disorder (AUD) in the past year that required treatment. Of that number, less than 10% received any addiction treatment from a facility designed to provide it. Detox and rehab services have proven effective treatments for individuals who speak English and are acculturated to life in the U.S. Moreover, they are less likely to join support groups (such as Alcoholics Anonymous), despite the availability of Spanish-language groups.
Alcohol and Drug Use Among the Hispanic Population
Whites have greater odds than Blacks, Hispanics, and Asians for either a past-year or lifetime alcohol use disorder. Native Americans have greater odds than Whites for lifetime alcohol dependence but similar odds for lifetime alcohol abuse and past-year alcohol abuse and dependence. More specifically, Whites (13.8 percent) are more likely than Blacks (8.4 percent) and Hispanics (9.5 percent) to develop alcohol dependence in their lifetime (Hasin et al. 2007). However, once alcohol dependence occurs, Blacks (35.4 percent) and Hispanics (33.0 percent) have a higher prevalence than Whites (22.8 percent) of recurrent or persistent alcohol dependence (Dawson et al. 2005). Although substance abuse rates for Latinos reflect those of the general U.S. population, male and female Hispanics (Latinx) tend to get weaker results in treatment programs.
For treatment to be successful, clinicians and program developers may benefit from developing programs in accordance with family-oriented cultural and religious values. The common suggestion to reduce time with loved ones who use drugs may not be compatible with Latinx people who prioritize tight family and community bonds. According to a 2019 report of the Joint Economic Committee of the United States Congress, Hispanic workers earn 74% of what the typical white worker earns. ”The stressors of adapting to life in the United States and the accompanying stressors of difficult working and living conditions may be what partially explains the link between acculturation measures and substance use,” says Cano.
Find out how many people have alcohol use disorder in the United States across age groups and demographics. Explore how many people ages 18 to 25 engage in alcohol misuse in the United States and the impact it has. Learn how many people ages 12 to 20 engage in underage alcohol misuse in the United States and the impact it has.
Alcohol and the Hispanic Community
One explanation is the Treatment for Alcohol Problems higher rates of risky drinking for some minority ethnic groups (e.g., Hispanics and Native Americans). However, other studies find that ethnic differences in drinking alone do not fully explain alcohol-related disparities (Herd 1994; Jones-Webb et al. 1997; Mulia et al. 2009), requiring the examination of other possible factors. Using PROCESS v3.2 for SPSS (Hayes, 2017), moderation analyses were conducted with 50,000 bootstraps to examine the extent to which potential moderating variables influenced the direction and/or strength of respective associations with alcohol use severity. All moderation analyses controlled for all variables in the HMR model that were not included in respective interaction terms. Self-efficacy, the perceived confidence to perform a desired action, is a key construct in theories of health behavior and behavior modification—including alcohol use behavior (Bandura, 1982; Kadden & Litt, 2011). Thus, one construct that may be relevant to research on sociocultural determinants of health behavior among Hispanics is bicultural self-efficacy which encompasses multiple domains of functioning such as social groundedness and role repertoire.
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. First, the present study utilized self-report measures that are susceptible to participant misrepresentation and error. Second, our assessment of acculturation was limited to linguistic acculturation and only two domains of bicultural self-efficacy were examined out of a possible six.
- Differences in social and socioeconomic factors and biological differences related to alcohol metabolism also could contribute to alcohol’s varying effects across populations.
- Drinking initiation before age 18 or younger and men who are either US-or foreign-born are factors of risk of consuming more alcohol per week.
- Department of Justice (Perry 2004) reported that 42 percent of all violent crimes (i.e., rape, sexual assault, robbery, aggravated assault, and simple assault) were committed by an offender who was under the influence of alcohol.
- However, once alcohol dependence occurs, Blacks and Hispanics experience higher rates than Whites of recurrent or persistent dependence.
- It is hypothesized that a greater range of role repertoire facilitates positive interactions and reduces conflict, with both cultural groups (LaFromboise et al., 1993).
It is possible that increased contact with the United States, which has more liberal norms for drinking by women, has led to a liberalization of norms among Puerto Ricans that is not seen in other Hispanic groups. Binge drinking rates vary considerably across women with Puerto Rican women reporting rates nearly twice as high as the other groups. However, statistically significant differences across age groups are present only for Cuban Americans. Although no clear pattern was found, these rates decrease significantly after age 50 except among D/SC American women.