Acculturation and Alcohol among U.S. Latinas

描述（由申请人提供）：该申请建议对酒精研究小组进行的2004-5年美国全国酒精调查的拉丁裔受访者进行二次分析。拟议的研究解决了一个突出的国家目标，也是NIH和医学研究所在解释和减少健康差距方面的共同兴趣。这项研究还反映了一种认识，即美国的拉丁裔（在酒精研究中很少强调）可能有酗酒问题的风险：在最近的趋势中，拉丁裔饮酒者的频繁酗酒率似乎已经赶上并超过了白人女性饮酒者；此外，一些证据表明，拉丁裔女性比白人女性更容易经历与饮酒有关的后果。先前的研究表明，文化适应在这一人群的酒精使用中起着重要作用。因此，目前的研究旨在帮助阐明文化适应对拉丁美洲人饮酒结果影响的作用机制，重点关注感知歧视（特别是种族污名意识）。该项目关注的是种族耻辱，很少有关于饮酒的研究，这使得它具有探索性。该应用程序还审查了社会经济资源在拉丁裔饮酒中的作用；

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The application proposes a secondary analysis focusing on Latina respondents to the 2004-5 US National Alcohol Survey conducted by the Alcohol Research Group. The proposed study addresses a prominent national goal and an interest shared by NIH and the Institute of Medicine in explaining and reducing health disparities. The study also reflects a recognition that Latinas in the U.S. (seldom emphasized in alcohol research) can be at risk for problematic alcohol use: In recent trends, rates of frequent heavy drinking among Latina drinkers appear to have matched and eclipsed those among White female drinkers; further, some evidence suggests that Latinas can experience greater drinking-related consequences than White females. Prior research has indicated a role for acculturation in alcohol use among this population. Hence, the current study aims to help illuminate mechanisms of action underlying acculturation's effects on drinking outcomes among Latinas, focusing on perceived discrimination (and specifically, racial stigma consciousness) as a candidate. The project's focus on racial stigma, little-studied in reference to drinking, makes it exploratory. The application also examines a role for socioeconomic resources in Latina drinking; potential protective effects for religiosity and social support; and predictors of help seeking among this population. Analyses will include scale analyses, traditional regressions, and structural equation modeling. By accomplishing these aims, the research will contribute to existing knowledge surrounding the effects of discrimination on health outcomes among minorities. Data will also help identify populations at risk for alcohol problems, and illuminate avenues for interventions aiming to prevent or address alcohol problems among Latinas by, for example, capitalizing on the effects of social support and spiritual involvement.