The Impact of Microaggressions on Alcohol Consumption and Alcohol-Related Problems among Latinx Community Members and College Students

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2021-08

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Abstract

Despite being one of the largest and fastest-growing demographics in the United States (US), Latinx experience striking health disparities, particularly in the area of alcohol use. One possible reason for these disparities is that Latinx individuals are disproportionately affected by stressful life conditions, notably poverty and discrimination, which may lead to higher rates of problematic alcohol use. Subtle discrimination at the daily-level, known as racial/ethnic microaggressions, are common among Latinx individuals, and may account for significant and unique variance in problematic alcohol use within this population. The proposed study used randomly signaled ecological momentary assessment (EMA) over a 10-day period to study the impact of microaggressions on alcohol consumption and alcohol-related problems among Latinx individuals. Furthermore, this study examined the underlying processes that account for this relationship and tested theoretically-driven resilience and risk factors. Twenty-five students from the University of Houston and 24 community members from across the US completed baseline questionnaires and then participated in the EMA phase of the study. At baseline, participants completed assessments of demographics, measures of traditional Latinx cultural values, ethnic group belonging, chronic stress, and reported on problematic alcohol use. For the following 10 days, participants reported on experiences of microaggressions, daily hassles, stress, self-control depletion, state disinhibition, social support, and problematic alcohol use in randomly signaled reports three times a day. Microaggressions were associated with more problematic alcohol use, over and above the effect of daily hassles. However, there was no support for the proposed mechanisms underlying this relationship, and very little support for the proposed risk and resilience factors. These findings should be interpreted with caution provided the small sample size; however, if effects remain consistent once a larger sample is obtained, this would suggest the need to test alternative mediators and moderators of the association between microaggressions and problematic alcohol use for Latinx individuals. Despite many null and conflicting effects, this research does move the field forward in two ways: 1) by demonstrating that microaggressions operate over and above daily hassles, and 2) by demonstrating the feasibility of assessing microaggressions using an EMA method with a Latinx sample.

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Keywords

Microaggressions, Problematic Alcohol Use, Latinx, EMA Design

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