Background Prior research suggests that stronger racial/ethnic identification offsets negative effects of discrimination on substance use. Yet research in this area and on whether gender modifies this association is limited for Latina/os. Purpose The purpose of the present study is to examine whether different sources of discrimination (everyday and racial/ethnic) are associated with substance use (alcohol use disorder, smoking), if racial/ethnic identity buffers this association, and the potential moderating role of gender among these variables. Methods We present cross-sectional, US population-based data from the Latina/o adult sample (1427 females and 1127 males) of the National Latino and Asian American Study. Respondents completed self-reported measures of everyday and racial/ethnic discrimination, racial/ethnic identity, smoking status, and Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th edition (DSM-IV) lifetime alcohol use disorder. Results Weighted logistic regression analyses showed that before inclusion of three-way interactions and adjusting for covariates, everyday discrimination predicted increased risk for any DSM-IV lifetime alcohol use disorders. Moderation analyses revealed that the effect of everyday discrimination on the risk of being a current smoker was strongest for Latino men with high levels of racial/ethnic identity compared to those with low racial/ethnic identity. No differences were noted among Latino women. There were no main or interaction effects of racial/ethnic discrimination for any substance use outcome. Conclusions Findings suggest differential associations for type of discrimination and outcome and that the role of racial/ethnic identity is gender-specific for smoking, appearing particularly detrimental for Latino men reporting high levels of racial/ethnic identity.

Individuals living with a major mental illness experience socioemotional impairments, including difficulties achieving gendered social role expectations. In Mexico, though gender roles are dynamic, men remain highly valued for their ability to provide economic security, whereas women are valued for expressions of family nurturance. Though failure to achieve gendered expectations has been associated with stigmatization and family conflict for individuals with schizophrenia, these relationships remain largely unexplored in Mexico. In this article, we examine the impact of gendered social roles for men and women living with a diagnosis of schizophrenia in Mexico. Drawing on qualitative content analysis of semistructured interviews conducted with 19 individuals seeking outpatient services from a psychiatric clinic in Mexico, we explore how gendered expectations and social roles shape understandings of, and responses to, the illness experience of schizophrenia. Underlying themes for men and women with schizophrenia included the following: (a) Role Changes and (b) Expected Prognosis. Subthemes within Role Changes revealed that participants encountered difficulties with employment, changes in family roles and relationships, and familial stigma following their diagnosis. Subthemes within Expected Prognosis revealed that participants’ symptoms made it difficult to start a family, and that generally, those interviewed believed women had an easier time coping with their illness. Our findings suggest that assessing gendered expectations provides a more nuanced understanding of an individual’s lived experience of schizophrenia and may be leveraged to tailor clinical goals most important to a client’s social function.

Self-reported everyday discrimination among Latino adults is associated with adiposity. Day-to-day interpersonal discrimination may be implicated in obesity disparities for Latino adults.

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