Alcohol use and misuse among Latinas in the U.S.: Addressing gaps in the literature with a multi-methods approach

摘要 与非拉丁美洲人相比，拉丁美洲人受酒精相关的健康并发症的影响不成比例 白人[3]。有令人信服的证据表明，拉丁美洲人可能特别容易经历一些与酒精有关的风险。 与拉丁美洲人相比的健康问题。女性更容易患酒精相关性肝硬化， 酒精对大脑的损害比男性更大[4]。妇女的差距因以下因素的交叉而进一步复杂化： 性别与种族，因为研究表明，拉丁裔和其他种族和少数民族妇女可能不太可能 非拉丁裔白人寻求治疗[7]。研究还表明，拉丁美洲人在饮酒方面的性别差距是 [5]，年轻的拉丁裔女性正在从事更危险的酒精行为[3]。美国Latina 人口超过3000万[19];因此，研究拉丁美洲人的酒精使用和滥用必须是公开的 健康优先。我是一名助理教授，在一个支持性的研究为导向的西班牙裔服务机构，并致力于 终身从事研究，旨在减少拉丁美洲人与酒精相关的健康差异。的 K01应用中的培训和研究活动将解决有关酒精使用的文献中的两个主要空白， 具体来说，需要更多的研究来了解最新的酒精使用和滥用模式。 拉丁美洲人在人口水平上。对目前专门针对美国拉丁裔的国家数据的研究很少， 特别是相对于拉丁裔人口的规模。此外，研究性别角色规范的少量文献， 与拉丁美洲人之间的酒精使用的关系是非常有限的，虽然这同一文献强调的重要性， 理解这个联系。目前的研究无法解决突出的性别角色期望的变化是如何在一个 双文化背景与拉丁美洲人饮酒（或戒酒）有关。为了有效地告知文化定制的酒精 预防和治疗计划，服务于美国拉丁裔人口，这是至关重要的研究人员，以解决这些问题 文学上的重大空白。为此，我建议实施补充方法。首先，我将使用复杂 对三个国家数据集的调查分析，直接从现有的最新国家数据中提取，以评估 拉丁美洲人的酒精使用和滥用。接下来，我将进行定性研究，以便我可以梳理出复杂的 与饮酒有关的性别角色期望-来自传统拉丁文化和美国主流文化- 从这些讨论中收集的主题将用于生成一个项目， 定量测量，捕捉双文化性别角色期望如何促进饮酒行为， 拉丁裔我培训的最后阶段将通知R01提交，这将试验和验证我 将开始发展成为K01获奖者。为了突出此培训的"完整循环"性质，我的R01应用程序将 包括在美国拉丁裔的全国样本中验证该措施。有了世界级的导师团队，这个项目 将解决两个主要的研究空白文献中的酒精使用拉丁美洲人，也将为我提供专业知识， 继续利用科学方法的整体和互补技能解决文献中的主要空白。

ABSTRACT Latinx Americans are disproportionately affected by alcohol-related health complications compared to non-Latinx Whites [3]. There is compelling evidence that Latinas may be particularly at risk for experiencing some alcohol-related health problems compared to Latinos. Women are more likely to develop alcohol-related cirrhosis and are more likely to have brain damage from alcohol use than men [4]. Disparities for women are further complicated by the intersection of gender with ethnicity, as research shows that Latinas and other racial and ethnic minority women may be less likely to seek treatment than non-Latina Whites [7]. Research also shows that the gender gap in drinking among Latinxs is narrowing [5], and young Latina women are engaging in more hazardous alcohol behaviors [3]. The U.S. Latina population is over 30 million [19]; thus, research examining alcohol use and misuse among Latinas must be a public health priority. I am an Assistant Professor at a supportive research oriented Hispanic Serving Institution and committed to a lifelong career of conducting research designed to reduce alcohol-related health disparities among Latinxs. The training and research activities in this K01 application will address two major gaps in the literature on alcohol use among Latinas in the U.S. Specifically, more research is needed to understand the most current patterns of alcohol use and misuse among Latinas at the population level. Examinations of current national data devoted exclusively to U.S. Latinas is scarce, particularly relative to the size of the Latina population. Also, the small body of literature examining gender role norms in relation to alcohol use among Latinas is extremely limited, although this same literature highlights the importance of understanding this link. Current research cannot address how shifts in salient gender role expectations transmitted in a bicultural context relate to drinking (or abstaining) among Latinas. To effectively inform culturally tailored alcohol prevention and treatment programs that serve the U.S. Latina population, it is crucial for researchers to address these major gaps in the literature. To this end, I propose implementing complementary methods. First, I will use complex survey analysis across three national datasets to draw directly from the most current national data available to assess alcohol use and misuse among Latinas. Next, I will conduct qualitative research so that I may tease out the complexities of drinking-related gender role expectations – from both traditional Latin culture and mainstream U.S. culture – that are experienced by Latinas in the U.S. Themes that are gleaned from these discussions will be used to generate items for a quantitative measure that captures how bicultural gender role expectations contribute to drinking behaviors among Latinas. This final phase of my training will inform an R01 submission, which will pilot and validate the measure that I will begin developing as a K01 awardee. Highlighting the “full circle” nature of this training, my R01 application will include validating the measure among a national sample of U.S. Latinas. With a team of world-class mentors, this project will address two major research gaps in the literature on alcohol use among Latinas and will also afford me expertise to continue tackling major gaps in the literature using a holistic and complementary skillset of scientific methods.