Acculturation, drinking and alcohol abuse and dependence among Hispanics in the Texas-Mexico border
Raul Caetano, M.D., Ph.D., Suhasini Ramisetty-Mikler, Ph.D., MPH, Lynn S. Wallisch, Ph.D., Christine McGrath, MPH, and Richard T. Spence, Ph.D.
This paper examines the association between acculturation, binge drinking, and DSM-IV alcohol abuse and dependence among Hispanics in the Texas-Mexico border, a context in which biculturalism is the norm, even among higher generation residents. The analysis was based on survey responses from 472 male and 484 female Hispanic adults from El Paso , the Rio Grande Valley and colonias. Based on the ARSMA-II scale, respondents were coded into four acculturation categories: very Mexican oriented, Mexican bicultural, Anglo bicultural, or very Anglo/assimilated. Overall, acculturation was related to lower rates of binge and problem drinking for men and higher rates for women. About 43% of the most Mexican oriented men reported binge drinking in the past month as compared to 33% of the most Anglo oriented men. In contrast, 12% of the most Mexican oriented women as compared to 18% of the most Anglo oriented women binge drank. Multivariate analyses indicated that men who reported binge drinking and those who were very Mexican, bicultural Mexican, or bicultural Anglo were at higher risk for alcohol abuse and/or dependence compared to very Anglo/Anglicized men. For women, acculturation level did not predict alcohol disorders. These findings suggest that acculturation may have different effects on drinking for men and women.
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