Moderators of the association between discrimination and alcohol consumption: findings from a representative sample of Brazilian university students

Abstract

Introduction: Few studies about discrimination and patterns of alcohol consumption among youth populations have been conducted outside the United States addressing different types of discriminatory experiences, in addition to racially motivated events. This study investigated moderators of the association between discrimination attributed to single and multiple reasons and patterns of alcohol consumption. Methods: This cross-sectional study enrolled a representative sample (n = 1,264) of undergraduate students from Florianópolis, southern Brazil, in 2013. Analyses included adjustment of associations for covariates in ordinal logistic regression models and the examination of effect modification by common mental disorders, year of study and age. Results: Discrimination was reported by 65.8% of the students, and alcohol consumption, by 80.0%. Over half of the students reported being discriminated against for two or more reasons. The odds of alcohol-related problems were higher among lastyear students that reported discrimination (odds ratio [OR] = 1.9, 95% confidence interval [95%CI] 1.0-3.4) or multiple reasons for being discriminated against (OR = 2.3, 95%CI 1.3-4.3), when compared to first-year students that did not report discrimination. For the whole sample, there were no associations between discrimination, discrimination attributed to multiple reasons and patterns of alcohol consumption (OR = 1.0, 95%CI 0.8-1.4; and OR = 0.9, 95%CI 0.5-1.6). Conclusions:The effects of discrimination on the patterns of alcohol consumption are seen at a critical period in university life, specifically during the completion of undergraduate studies.

A scoping review of health-related stigma outcomes for high-burden diseases in low- and middle-income countries

“…Two studies investigated moderators. Years of study at university [145], income, and place of residence were found to be significant moderators of stigma–substance use relationships. One study investigated mediators and found that, among men who have sex with men, alcohol and substance use mediated the relationship between stigma and risky sexual behaviors [147].…”

Discrimination and drinking: A systematic review of the evidence

“…For example, one paper assessed experiences of workplace discrimination “because of gender, race or color” (p. 72), thus failing to differentiate its underlying cause (Yen, Ragland, Greiner, & Fisher, 1999b). The remaining three papers measured discrimination in multiple domains (e.g., race, gender, age, disability, sexual orientation, among others) but collapsed all types into a single indicator for analysis (Capezza, Zlotnick, Kohn, Vicente, & Saldivia, 2012; Coelho, Bastos, & Celeste, 2015; Hatzenbuehler, Corbin, & Fromme, 2011). These approaches resulted in decreased detail about the exposure of interest.…”

Uso de bebidas alcoólicas por estudantes: análise de propagandas de festas em um campus universitário

“…[7][8][9][10][11] . No Brasil, o uso de álcool entre universitários parece ser mais frequente entre os estudantes que referem sofrer algum tipo de discriminação social 12 , os que se declaram sem religião 9 , com maiores rendimentos financeiros familiares e os do sexo masculino [13][14][15] .…”