Experiences of Ethnic Discrimination Among US Hispanics: Intersections of Language, Heritage, and Discrimination Setting.

BACKGROUND: Informed by Latino Critical Race Theory, the present study examined how intersections between English use/proficiency, Spanish use/proficiency, and heritage group shape the varying experiences of ethnic discrimination reported by US Hispanic adults. METHODS: The study utilized data from 7,037 Hispanic adults from the 2012-2013 National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions-III. Multivariable binomial logistic regression modeled language use/proficiency, heritage, and demographic characteristics as predictors of past-year self-reported perceived ethnic discrimination, overall and in six different settings. RESULTS: Both English and Spanish use/proficiency were positively associated with increased adjusted odds of reporting ethnic discrimination overall, in public, or with respect to employment/education/ housing/courts/police; however, with respect to being called a racist name or receiving verbal/physical threats/assaults, a positive association was observed for English, yet not Spanish. Results also indicated a significant interaction between English use/proficiency and Spanish use/proficiency when predicting past-year ethnic discrimination overall or for any of the six types/settings examined, although the relationship between language use/proficiency and ethnic discrimination varied by Hispanic heritage group. CONCLUSION: Study findings emphasize that experiencing some form of ethnic discrimination is relatively common among US Hispanic adults, yet the prevalence and types or settings of ethnic discrimination vary widely on the basis of demographics, immigrant generation, heritage, and the interplay between English and Spanish use/proficiency.

The use of cultural identity in predicting health lifestyle behaviors in Latinx immigrant adolescents.

OBJECTIVES: This study explored whether cultural identity predicts health lifestyle behaviors. METHOD: Participants included 302 recently immigrated (<5 years in the U.S.) Latinx adolescents (53% boys; mean age 14.51 years at baseline) from Miami and Los Angeles. Participants completed cultural identity measures at baseline and 1-year post baseline. A path analysis was used to estimate associations between cultural identities (ethnic, national, and bicultural) and health lifestyle behaviors (physical activity, diet, and sleep hygiene). RESULTS: Ethnic identity positively predicted diet. Results also indicated a significant interaction between ethnic and national identity on sleep hygiene. Specifically, when national identity was high (+1 SD), ethnic identity positively predicted sleep hygiene. CONCLUSION: This study focuses on health lifestyle behaviors such as physical activity, diet, and sleep hygiene in this population. Results highlight the need to explore the protective nature of cultural identity retention in relation to health lifestyle behaviors in Latinx adolescents. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).

Online racism, depressive and anxiety symptoms, coping-related drinking motives, and alcohol use severity among Black, Latina/o/x, and Asian emerging adults.

Online racism has been associated with alcohol-related coping, likely to deal with mental health symptoms that arise from experiencing racial discrimination in online settings. Thus, we examined online racism as a risk factor for alcohol-related problems by examining depressive/anxiety symptoms and coping-related drinking motives as mediators among Black, Latina/o/x, and Asian emerging adults in the U.S. We hypothesized that online racism would be associated with greater alcohol use severity through depressive/anxiety symptoms and coping-related drinking motives sequentially. With data from 322 participants (Mage = 23.28; Black, n = 108; Latina/o/x, n = 118; and Asian, n = 96), we conducted a multi-group path analysis of online racism (Perceived Online Racism Scale) linked to alcohol use (Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test) via depressive (Patient Health Questionnaire-9)/Anxiety (Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7) symptoms and coping-related drinking motives (Drinking Motives Questionnaire-Revised Short Form). The hypothesized indirect pathway was significant in all groups. The direct effect was also significant for Latina/o/x and Asian groups. For the Black group, the direct effect was not significant, highlighting the salience of the mental health symptoms and drinking motives in explaining the link between online racism and alcohol use. Collectively, the results help to contextualize the risks of alcohol-related problems from experiencing contemporary forms of racial trauma such as online racial discrimination and provide implications for intervention development.

Predictors of Alcohol Use Among Latinx Men in South Florida: Machismo as a Correlate of Alcohol Use Frequency and Quantity.

Previous studies have found Latinx cultural values to be positively associated with healthy behaviors. This study aims to examine socioeconomic and cultural correlates of alcohol use among Latinx adult men living in Miami-Dade County, Florida. The study sample included 122 Latinx adult men (mean age = 44, SD = 10), predominantly of South and Central American origin. Data was collected using REDCap. Interviews included the Timeline Follow-Back scale for alcohol use. Results indicate that Caribbean participants were significantly less likely to report drinking in the past 90 days (aOR = 0.08, p = 0.042) compared to their Venezuelan counterparts. Higher machismo scores were associated with low drinking frequency (aRR = 0.67, p = 0.043), while no significant associations were found between machismo and other drinking outcomes. Drinking quantity and frequency are significantly associated with higher income and authorized immigration status in the US among Latinx men in South Florida. Higher machismo scores were associated with low drinking frequency.

The role of personal identity as a resource for college students during COVID-19.

Objective: We examined the role of personal identity vis-à-vis COVID-related outcomes among college students from seven U.S. campuses during spring/summer 2021. Participants: The present sample consisted of 1,688 students (74.5% female, age range 18-29). The sample was ethnically diverse, and 57.3% were first-generation students. Procedures: Students completed an online survey assessing personal identity synthesis and confusion, COVID-related worries, general internalizing symptoms, positive adaptation, and general well-being. Results: Personal identity synthesis was negatively related to COVID-related worries and general internalizing symptoms, and positively related to positive adaptation, both directly and indirectly through life satisfaction and psychological well-being. Personal identity confusion evidenced an opposing set of direct and indirect associations with outcome variables. Conclusions: Personal identity may potentially be protective against pandemic-related distress among college students, in part through its association with well-being. Reducing identity confusion and promoting identity synthesis are essential among college students during this and future pandemics.

Alcohol use trajectories of adult Latinx immigrants during their first decade in the United States.

BACKGROUND: Despite important research advances on the alcohol use behaviors of Latinx immigrants, the bulk of existing evidence has focused on alcohol use patterns after immigrant's arrival to the US. The present study examines pre- to post immigration alcohol use trajectories among Latinx immigrants of diverse national origins throughout their first decade in the United States. METHODS: Data for this longitudinal study was collected between 2007 and 2017. At baseline, retrospective pre-immigration alcohol use data was collected on 527 Cuban, South American and Central American participants ages 18-34 who immigrated to the US less than one year prior. Three subsequent follow-up assessments over the past 10 years have collected data on post-immigration alcohol use. RESULTS: Overall decreases in pre- to post-immigration alcohol use were found. Gender, income, and national origin were associated with distinct drinking patterns after immigration. CONCLUSION: Findings underscore the importance of examining pre-immigration experiences among Latinx immigrants, in addition to longitudinal alcohol use patterns after immigration. This knowledge is important not only from an epidemiological perspective, but for the development of effective culturally relevant alcohol interventions targeting Latinx immigrants early in the immigration process.