Predictors of Hispanic College Student Alcohol Use with Consideration of Sex, Gender, and Ethnic Differences: A Scoping Review of Cultural, Peer and Family Influences
Open Access
- Author:
- Ko, Sophia
- Area of Honors:
- Biobehavioral Health
- Degree:
- Bachelor of Science
- Document Type:
- Thesis
- Thesis Supervisors:
- Robert J Turrisi, Thesis Supervisor
Kari Christine Kugler, Thesis Honors Advisor - Keywords:
- Hispanic
Latinx
Alcohol Use
Alcohol Related Consequences
College Students
Socio-Ecological Model
Scoping Review
Familismo
Marianismo
Machismo
Acculturation
Enculturation
Drinking Norms - Abstract:
- The U.S. college environment presents risk of alcohol consumption and related consequences, with more than half of full-time college students reporting alcohol use in the past month and a third engaging in binge drinking (4 + drinks (females)/5+ drinks (males); National Survey on Drug Use and Health [NSDUH], 2018). U.S. college students that identify as Hispanic/Latinx have grown in volume, representing nearly 1 in 5 college students (College Enrollment Statistics, 2022; U.S. Department of Education, 2019). There is indication that Hispanic adolescents experience unique cultural, peer, and family risk factors for alcohol use and related consequences (Goldbach et al., 2015; Jacobs et al., 2016; Segura et al., 2003; Zamboanga et al., 2009). However, there remain unanswered questions on the precise nature of these influences for Hispanic emerging adults in the college environment (Lui & Zamboanga, 2019; Zamboanga et al., 2014). The aims of this scoping review were to examine the literature among Hispanic U.S. college student alcohol use and related consequences for: (1) cultural, peer, and family predictors; and (2) demographic variance by sex, gender, and ethnic subgroup. From the 46 articles identified in PubMed and PsychINFO databases, 80.4% analyzed traditional Hispanic (pan-ethnic) samples and 19.5% analyzed Mexican American samples. Nine additional sources of gray literature identified themes of family and cultural stress among Hispanic college students. Highly acculturated individuals appeared to be more at risk for general consumption, which was characteristic of social motives. High enculturation was associated with drinking related consequences, which could be an indication that these students are more likely to view alcohol use as a coping or conformity motive. There was not full support for familism or first-generation status as protective constructs, and instead, other related components such as communication and religiousness emerged as relevant predictors. More acculturated females tend to be more vulnerable to high stress environments, and in turn binge drinking episodes. Lowered familism, increased traditional machismo (e.g., dominance and toughness), and elevated peer norms were predictors putting males more at risk, an indication that perceptiveness to the influences of peers and family depend on gender. No articles were able to specify variance in predictors by sex, and only articles of Mexican American subgroup were identified, which presents a clear gap for future research to fill.