Acculturation and Alcohol among U.S. Latinas

描述(由申请人提供)：该申请提出了一个二次分析，重点是2004年至2005年由酒精研究小组进行的美国全国酒精调查的拉丁裔受访者。这项拟议的研究涉及一个突出的国家目标，以及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，即在美国，拉丁裔(在酒精研究中很少强调)可能面临有问题的饮酒风险：在最近的趋势中，拉丁裔饮酒者频繁饮酒的比率似乎与白人女性饮酒者持平，甚至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遭受与饮酒有关的后果。先前的研究已经表明，在这一人群中，文化适应在酒精使用中起到了作用。因此，目前的研究旨在帮助阐明文化适应对拉丁裔饮酒结果影响的潜在行动机制，重点是作为候选人的感知歧视(特别是种族污名意识)。该项目的重点是种族污名，而关于饮酒的研究很少，这使其成为探索性的。该应用程序还考察了社会经济资源在拉丁裔饮酒中的作用； 对宗教信仰和社会支持的潜在保护作用；以及在这一人群中寻求帮助的预测因素。分析将包括尺度分析、传统回归和结构方程建模。通过实现这些目标，这项研究将有助于增进关于歧视对少数群体健康结果的影响的现有知识。数据还将有助于确定有酗酒问题风险的人群，并阐明旨在预防或解决拉丁裔酗酒问题的干预措施的途径，例如，利用社会支持和精神参与的影响。

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.