Differential Effects of Acculturation on Drinking Behavior in Chinese- and Korean-American College Students

Abstract

Objective-Recent evidence suggests increasing rates of alcohol use and related disorders among Asian-American young adults. Relatively little research has focused on this group, and few studies have examined heterogeneity in drinking prevalence and correlates across Asian subgroups. This study examined interactive effects of ethnicity, acculturation, and gender on drinking behavior among Asian-American undergraduates.Method-Participants were 112 Chinese Americans and 108 Korean Americans (mean age = 19.2 years, 61% female) who completed measures of alcohol use, acculturation, and demographic factors. Multivariate analyses examined drinking behavior (defined as quantity, frequency, and duration) as a function of ethnicity, gender, and acculturation.

Genetic and Environmental Predictors of Alcohol Use in Asian American Young Adults

“…Thus, in terms of familial-based predictors, FH appears to be a more salient predictor of alcohol misuse among Asian American young adults than was ethnicity. This lack of ethnic differences is in contradiction to those reported by others in the literature (Duranceaux et al, 2008;Hendershot et al, 2008). Differences between the present study and prior studies may account for these disparate findings, most notably our sampling strategy that resulted in a sample that was older and consumed more alcohol.…”

“…Based on the literature (Duranceaux et al, 2008;Hendershot et al, 2008;Luczak et al, 2004), we hypothesized ethnic differences in terms of alcohol use. Although Korean ethnicity was associated with a greater likelihood of positive FH, no effect of ethnicity was observed as either a main effect or a moderator of either genetic factors or acculturation.…”

“…Research suggests that rates of alcohol use and misuse are higher among Korean Americans compared with Chinese Americans (Weatherspoon et al, 1994), and Korean men have higher rates of heavy drinking than North American men (Helzer et al, 1990). Indeed, ethnicity appears to moderate the effects of acculturation on Asian American alcohol use, with acculturation being a risk factor for Chinese Americans but a protective factor for Korean Americans (Hendershot et al, 2008).…”

Not All Those Who Wander Are Lost: Examining the Impact of Sojourner Adjustment and Drinking Motives on Alcohol Consequences Experienced by Americans Studying in Foreign Countries

“…Our overall findings here mirror acculturation and drinking research, which generally suggests that interest in and adoption of the host country culture may protect against problematic alcohol use for many (but not all) immigrant groups (e.g., Caetano and Clark, 2003;Fosados et al, 2007;Gong et al, 2003;Hendershot et al, 2008). The present study confi rms reviews of the limited qualitative research with American study-abroad students positing that sojourner adjustment may ease the diffi culties of adjusting to life in a new culture and may be associated with reduced risk for negative experiences abroad (Carlson et al, 1990;Kauffmann et al, 1992;Pitts, 2009;Thomlinson, 1991).…”

Differences in the Drinking Behaviors of Chinese, Filipino, Korean, and Vietnamese College Students

“…Differences in alcohol use of college-age Asian subgroups have been similar to those found in other non-college-age epidemiological studies of Asian subgroups (Doran et al, 2007;Hendershot et al, 2008;Luczak et al, 2001;Yi and Daniel, 2001). In two epidemiological studies comparing white and Asian subgroups, one examining a sample of adolescents and the other examining individuals ages 18 years or older, the prevalence of increased drinking behaviors ranked highest for whites, followed by the Japanese or Filipinos, Koreans, Chinese, and Vietnamese (Price et al, 2002;Wong et al, 2004).…”