Cultural identity affiliation and alcohol use and related consequences among American Indian and White adolescents: A latent profile analysis

Abstract

Background: Adolescent alcohol use is a significant public health concern and rates of alcohol use are higher among American Indian (AI) adolescents than national samples of non-AI youth. A potential factor in understanding AI alcohol use is cultural identity, which can vary widely based on experiences of historical trauma. We used latent class analysis to examine cultural identity in AI and White adolescents and their alcohol use outcomes in relation to the latent class solutions. Methods:The samples included 3189 AI adolescents (M age = 14.76, 48.9% female) and 1579 White adolescents (M age = 15.56, 48.7% female) living on or near a reservation. Participants completed self-report measures of AI and White cultural identity affiliation, alcohol use, and alcohol-related problems. We examined (1) the best-fitting latent class solution with respect to American Indian (AI) and White cultural identity;(2) equivalence of the latent class solution; and (3) alcohol use outcomes across the optimal latent class solution.Results: Latent profile analyses indicated an optimal 3-class solution in both the AI and White samples, which differed by level of affiliation with AI and White cultural identity. While the optimal number of classes were similar across racial groups (configural profile similarity), the nature of the classes differed (structural profile dissimilarity). The three classes represented low overall scores on AI and White cultural identity (Marginalized), a mixture of high and low scores on AI and White cultural identity (Third Culture), and overall high scores on AI and White cultural identity (Bicultural).Alcohol-related problems predicted membership in the Third Culture class compared with the Marginalized class and the Bicultural class. Specifically, youth in the Third Culture class reported significantly fewer alcohol-related problems than youth in the Marginalized and Bicultural classes. Alcohol use did not predict latent class membership. Conclusions:The future-oriented nature of the Third Culture class may provide protection against adverse alcohol-related outcomes. Research is needed to test interventions that target greater future orientation and future plans to integrate culture into adolescents' lives.

The role of culture in the association between racial discrimination and alcohol use among North American Indigenous adolescents reporting recent drinking

“…Our finding of a curvilinear association may help to explain previously observed mixed findings, as it may be that previous studies have largely modeled this association linearly, or only examined the effects of cultural affiliation among groups characterized by high or low drinking (thus, only seeing one side of the U). This finding is also consistent with Schick et al (2022), who similarly found evidence of a curvilinear association between cultural affiliation and alcohol‐related consequences, wherein adolescents reporting low and high cultural affiliation reported higher alcohol‐related consequences relative to a group reporting moderate cultural affiliation. Future research is needed to examine the nature of this association more precisely.…”

“…However, in Study 1, this association was no longer significant once age and sex were added into the model, while the interaction remained significant even after controlling for covariates in Study 2. This finding adds to a mixed body of literature, wherein some studies find a protective effect of culture with respect to alcohol use (Goldstein et al, 2021;Tingey et al, 2016), while others do not find such an effect (Schick et al, 2022;Whitesell et al, 2014;Yu & Stiffman, 2007). Our finding of a curvilinear association may help to explain previously observed F I G U R E 1 Simple slope results for racial discrimination by cultural affiliation interaction predicting alcohol use (Study 1).…”

“…On the one hand, some research has found that holding a strong Indigenous cultural affiliation, valuing cultural reinforcers, and placing importance on traditional practices are protective against adolescents' alcohol use (Spillane et al, 2021;Tingey et al, 2016) and buffers the association between alcohol expectancies and alcohol use (Goldstein et al, 2021). Other work has found participation in cultural activities to be positively associated with alcohol use (Yu & Stiffman, 2007) and cultural affiliation to be unrelated to alcohol use among NAI youth (Schick et al, 2022;Whitesell et al, 2014). Further, engagement in traditional NAI practices has been found to buffer the negative effects of racial discrimination on mental health outcomes, such as depression (Lewis et al, 2022;Whitbeck et al, 2002).…”

A Study on the Presentation of Chinese Culture in Foreign Language Textbooks and Learners' Cultural Identity

“…Therefore, it is an effective strategy to properly use annotation in the course of textbook compilation and teaching Illustration: Illustration is another important way of presenting culture in foreign language teaching materials. By displaying pictures, maps and charts related to Chinese culture, learners can have a more intuitive understanding of Chinese culture [4] For example, when introducing the geography of China, a map of China can be inserted in the textbook so that learners can have a clearer understanding of the geographical location, administrative divisions and geographical features of China. In addition, by displaying some representative Chinese cultural symbols, such as totems, calligraphy, and traditional Chinese painting, learners can better understand and appreciate the charm of traditional Chinese art.…”