A Mediational Model of Racial Discrimination and Alcohol-Related Problems Among African American College Students

Abstract

ABSTRACT. Objective: Racial discrimination has been identifi ed as an important predictor of alcohol-related outcomes for African Americans. The goal of the current study was to extend previously found links between lifetime discrimination, alcohol use, and alcohol problems as well as to elucidate the affective mechanisms underlying these associations, as moderated by gender. Method: A multiple-groups structural equation model was computed using survey data collected from 619 students from a historically Black college/university. Results: The fi nal model provided excellent fi t to the data, explaining 6% of the variance in alcohol consumption and 37% of the variance in alcohol problems. Discrimination was a signifi cant predictor of alcohol-related problems but not, by and large, level of use. For men, anger-but not discriminationspecifi c anger-was a signifi cant partial mediator of the link between discrimination and both alcohol use and alcohol problems. Depression partially mediated the link between discrimination and alcohol problems for both men and women. Conclusions: The results suggest that, for African Americans whose drinking leads to drinking-related problems, discrimination and poor affective self-regulation are highly relevant and predictive factors, especially for men. (J. Stud. Alcohol Drugs, 75, 228-234, 2014)

Perceived Racial Discrimination and Negative-Mood–Related Drinking Among African American College Students

“…These findings are consistent with evidence that African American men are more responsive to discrimination in terms of substance use than are women (Boynton et al, 2014;Brodish et al, 2011;Brody et al, 2012) and that men, in general, are more likely to drink in response to stress (Armeli et al, 2000;Ayer et al, 2011;Nesic & Duka, 2006). support (Scott, 2004;Swim et al, 2003).…”

“…Yet discrimination itself produces negative moods (Ong et al, 2009), which could lead to drinking as a coping response . This pattern of mediation has been demonstrated in longitudinal studies (e.g., Boynton et al, 2014;Gibbons et al, 2010) but has yet to be shown with micro-longitudinal data. However, we did not measure the source of negative moods and thus could not determine whether specific stressors, especially those related to race, showed unique associations with evening levels of alcohol use.…”

“…Little of this work, however, has focused on African Americans, leaving open the question of whether gender differences generalize to this population. In addition, African American men perceive more racial discrimination than do African American women (Seaton et al, 2008), and men also appear more likely to engage in substance use as a response to this treatment (Boynton et al, 2014;Brodish et al, 2011;Brody et al, 2012). Together, these findings suggest that African American men will be more prone to negative-mood-related drinking than women, a difference that will be exacerbated among those who have experienced high levels of lifetime discrimination.…”

“…Of particular interest, African Americans who report higher levels of perceived racial discrimination are more likely to exhibit drinking problems (Boynton et al, 2014;Gibbons et al, 2010;Hatzenbuehler et al, 2011;Martin et al, 2003). Although multiple theories have been proposed to explain why African Americans would respond to discrimination with problem drinking, rarely have micro-longitudinal data been used to explore the daily processes that might give rise to this maladaptive behavior.…”

Drinking to cope among African American college students: An assessment of episode-specific motives.

“…Moreover, drinking-to-cope motivation appears to escalate throughout young adulthood among African Americans, and this group has exhibited stronger links from coping motives to alcohol use and drinking problems than European Americans (Cooper et al, 1995, 2008). It has been theorized that African Americans may be more likely to drink to cope due to their elevated exposure to chronic stressors, such as social disadvantage, racial stigma/discrimination, and unfair treatment, all of which predict problematic drinking (Boynton, O’Hara, Covault, Scott, & Tennen, in press; Gerrard et al, 2012; Mulia, Ye, Zemore, & Greenfield, 2008; Mulia & Zemore, 2012). Although the current study focused on a well-educated population of African Americans, these students likely still experience many stressors related to race and other social factors that could motivate alcohol use as a means of coping.…”