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

摘要 与非拉丁裔相比，拉美裔美国人受到酒精相关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，拉丁裔可能特别有可能经历一些与酒精有关的 与拉美人相比，健康问题。女性更容易患上与酒精相关的肝硬变 与男性相比，饮酒对大脑的损伤更大。女性的差异因以下因素的交叉而进一步复杂化 性别与族裔，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 寻求治疗胜过非拉丁裔白人[7]。研究还表明，拉丁裔饮酒方面的性别差距是 范围缩小了[5]，年轻的拉丁裔女性正在从事更危险的酒精行为[3]。美国拉丁裔美国人 人口超过3000万[19]；因此，在拉丁裔中调查酒精使用和滥用的研究必须公开 健康优先。我是一家以支持性研究为导向的拉美裔服务机构的助理教授，致力于 毕生从事旨在减少拉丁裔与酒精相关的健康差距的研究。这个 K01应用程序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 具体地说，美国的拉丁裔需要更多的研究来了解最新的酒精使用和滥用模式 在人口层面上的拉丁裔中。对目前专门针对美国拉丁裔的国家数据进行审查的情况很少， 尤其是相对于拉美裔人口的规模而言。此外，研究性别角色规范的文献很少 拉丁裔与饮酒的关系极其有限，尽管同样的文献强调了 理解这个链接。目前的研究无法解决显著性别角色期望的变化是如何在 双文化背景与拉丁裔饮酒(或戒酒)有关。有效地宣传文化定制的酒精 为美国拉美裔人口服务的预防和治疗计划，研究人员解决这些问题至关重要 文献中的主要空白。为此，我建议实施补充方法。首先，我将使用Complex 对三个国家数据集进行调查分析，直接从可供评估的最新国家数据中提取 拉丁裔中的酒精使用和滥用。接下来，我将进行定性研究，以便梳理出其中的复杂性 与饮酒相关的性别角色期望-来自传统拉丁文化和美国主流文化-这是 从这些讨论中收集到的主题将被用来为 量化指标，捕捉双文化性别角色预期对饮酒行为的影响 拉丁裔。我的培训的这个最后阶段将通知R01提交，它将试行和验证以下措施： 将开始发展成为K01获奖者。我的R01应用程序将突出这次培训的“完整圈”性质 包括在美国拉丁裔的全国样本中验证这项措施。有一个世界级的导师团队，这个项目 将解决关于拉丁裔饮酒的文献中的两个主要研究空白，并将为我提供以下专业知识 继续利用科学方法的整体和互补技能解决文献中的主要差距。

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.