Religiousness and acculturation as moderators of the association linking acculturative stress to levels of hazardous alcohol use in college students.

Abstract

Acculturative stress and alcohol-related cognitions have been examined as determinants of hazardous alcohol use among college students from immigrant backgrounds. Yet it remains unclear how multiple dimensions of religiousness and acculturation affect the associations among acculturative stress, alcoholrelated cognitions, and hazardous alcohol use. The current study addressed this research gap by examining the moderating role of religiousness and acculturation dimensions on the direct association between acculturative stress and levels of hazardous alcohol use and the indirect associations through alcohol-related cognitions. Data were from a large, multisite sample of first-and second-generation immigrant college students aged 18 to 25 years (N ϭ 1,072; 67.1% U.S. born; 67.8% female; M age ϭ 19.70) of Hispanic (45%) and Asian (55%) backgrounds. Results supported a moderating role for religiousness and acculturation dimensions on the association between acculturative stress and hazardous drinking through alcohol-related cognitions. Evidence of a protective role for religiousness and acculturation was observed as increased acculturative stress corresponded with lower levels of hazardous use when religious involvement and U.S. cultural orientation scores were high, and when religious salience was high and heritage cultural orientation was low. Findings suggest that greater religiousness may function as a form of positive religious coping and may serve a self-regulatory function among students high in U.S. cultural orientation and those low in heritage cultural orientation.

Impact of perceived discrimination on depression and anxiety among Muslim college students: The role of acculturative stress, religious support, and Muslim identity.

“…Contrary to the authors' hypothesis, religious support did not attenuate the impact of acculturative stress on MD and GAD symptoms but instead exacerbated the relationship. While some research suggests that religious or general social support can buffer the effect of acculturative stress on depression (Ahmed et al, 2011, Crockett et al, 2007, our findings parallel other research showing that religious involvement and high religious salience can increase the risk for negative outcomes, such as hazardous alcohol use, when an individual is experiencing acculturative stress (Jankowski et al, 2020). Additionally, other research shows that religiosity may act as a risk, rather than a protective factor among other minority groups, such as lesbian, gay, and bisexual youth, with research suggesting that individuals may struggle with reconciling religious beliefs with other parts of their identity that may not be looked upon favorably by their religion (Corbin et al, 2020).…”

“…More specifically, the findings of this study may suggest that U.S. Muslim college students that are embedded in a religious community might experience some internal conflict between having the responsibility to uphold their religious and cultural beliefs and also feeling pressure to integrate into mainstream culture. Jankowski et al (2020) suggested that these incongruencies might be seen in individuals with high levels of religious support and religious involvement and lower U.S. cultural orientation (i.e., people going through the acculturation process). These incongruencies may be the result of the individual attempting to synthesize two different identity domains into a “coherent identity (i.e.…”

“…These incongruencies may be the result of the individual attempting to synthesize two different identity domains into a “coherent identity (i.e. cultural and religious identities)” (Jankowski et al, 2020, p. 95). In this case, religiosity would exacerbate acculturative stress.…”

Explaining the alcohol immigrant paradox: Perspectives from Mexican American adults.

“…Our participants' perspectives also were consistent with previous research indicating the functional importance of having large and supportive social networks in reducing stress exposure and appraisal (Ruiz et al, 2018). Similarly, spirituality and religious affiliations may be more salient among individuals who are more immersed than those who are less immersed in the (Jankowski et al, 2020;Sanchez et al, 2015;Wells, 2010).…”

Discerning Student Depression: Religious Coping and Social Support Mediating Attachment

“…Positive religious coping has aided individuals toward better emotional well‐being such as higher rates of reported happiness and hope in a variety of populations (see Ano & Vasconcelles, 2005, for a meta‐analytic review). More specifically, college students have benefited from positive religious coping in experiencing “a self‐regulatory function” and buffering the impact of negative life stressors (Jankowski et al, 2020, p. 88; Park et al, 1990). On the other hand, engaging in negative religious coping strategies has led to various indicators of psychological distress and compromised emotional well‐being, such as higher levels of depression and hopelessness (Abu‐Raiya, Paragament, Krause, & Ironson, 2015; Ano & Vasconcelles, 2005), increased anxiety (Harris et al, 2014), decreased life satisfaction and happiness (Abu‐Raiya, Pargament, Krause, & Ironson, 2015; Abu‐Raiya, Pargament, Weissberger, & Exline, 2015), and even suicidal ideation (Raines et al, 2017).…”