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. 2020 Sep:108:106442.
doi: 10.1016/j.addbeh.2020.106442. Epub 2020 Apr 18.

Alcohol use severity among Hispanic emerging adults: Examining the roles of bicultural self-efficacy and acculturation

Affiliations

Alcohol use severity among Hispanic emerging adults: Examining the roles of bicultural self-efficacy and acculturation

Miguel Ángel Cano et al. Addict Behav. 2020 Sep.

Abstract

Objective: This study aimed to (1) examine respective associations of acculturation orientations (e.g., U.S. orientation and Hispanic orientation) and domains (e.g., social groundedness and role repertoire) of bicultural self-efficacy, the perceived confidence to function effectively within the receiving culture and the heritage culture, with alcohol use severity among Hispanic emerging adults. This study also aimed to (2) examine potential moderating factors of respective associations among acculturation orientations and bicultural self-efficacy with alcohol use severity.

Method: 200 Hispanic emerging adults from Arizona (n = 99) and Florida (n = 101) completed a cross-sectional survey. Inclusion criteria were being ages 18-25, self-identify as Hispanic or Latina/o, and currently living in Maricopa County or Miami-Dade County. Data were analyzed using hierarchical multiple regression and moderation analyses.

Results: Findings indicate that neither of the acculturation orientations nor role repertoire had main effects with alcohol use severity. However, higher social groundedness was associated with lower alcohol use severity. Moderation analyses indicate that the interaction between the U.S. orientation and study site and the interaction between the Hispanic orientation and social groundedness were statistically significant in relation to alcohol use severity.

Conclusions: Considering that the U.S. orientation was associated with alcohol use severity only in Arizona highlights the need for multisite studies on acculturation. Our findings demonstrate that other sociocultural processes such as acculturation can impact bicultural self-efficacy; and that the association between bicultural self-efficacy and alcohol merits further investigation. However, more thorough assessments of bicultural self-efficacy are needed to better understand its effects on alcohol.

Keywords: Alcohol; Biculturalism; Enculturation; Latino; Young adults.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Two-way interaction with study site moderating the association between U.S. orientation and alcohol use severity.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Two-way interaction with Hispanic orientation moderating the association between the social groundedness domain of bicultural self-efficacy and alcohol use severity.

References

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