Department of Psychology, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06520, USA.
Drug Alcohol Depend. 2011 Jun 1;115(3):213-20. doi: 10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2010.11.002. Epub 2010 Dec 9.
Discrimination is a risk factor for health-risk behaviors, including alcohol abuse. Far less is known about the mechanisms through which discrimination leads to alcohol-related problems, particularly during high-risk developmental periods such as young adulthood.
The present study tested a mediation model using prospective data from a large, diverse sample of 1539 college students. This model hypothesized that discrimination would be associated with established cognitive (positive alcohol expectancies) and affective (negative affect and coping motives) risk factors for alcohol-related problems, which would account for the prospective association between discrimination and alcohol problems.
Structural equation modeling indicated that discrimination was associated cross-sectionally with negative affect and more coping motives for drinking, but not with greater alcohol expectancies. Coping motives mediated the prospective relationship between discrimination and alcohol-related problems. Additionally, results indicated significant indirect effects from discrimination to alcohol-related problems through negative affect and coping motives. These associations were evident for multiple groups confronting status-based discrimination, including women, racial/ethnic minorities, and lesbian/gay/bisexual individuals.
This study identified potential affective mechanisms linking discrimination to alcohol-related problems. Results suggest several avenues for prevention and intervention efforts with individuals from socially disadvantaged groups.
歧视是健康风险行为的一个风险因素，包括酗酒。人们对歧视导致与酒精相关问题的机制知之甚少，特别是在青年等高风险发展时期。
本研究使用来自 1539 名大学生的大型、多样化样本的前瞻性数据，检验了一个中介模型。该模型假设歧视与已确立的认知（积极的酒精期望）和情感（负面情绪和应对动机）风险因素有关，这些因素可以解释歧视与酒精问题之间的前瞻性关联。
结构方程模型表明，歧视与负面情绪和更多的饮酒应对动机有关，但与更高的酒精期望无关。应对动机中介了歧视与酒精相关问题之间的前瞻性关系。此外，结果表明，歧视与酒精相关问题之间存在显著的间接影响，通过负面情绪和应对动机。这些关联在面临基于地位的歧视的多个群体中是明显的，包括女性、种族/族裔少数群体和女同性恋/男同性恋/双性恋个体。
本研究确定了将歧视与酒精相关问题联系起来的潜在情感机制。研究结果为针对社会劣势群体的个体的预防和干预措施提供了几个途径。
