The knowledge of racial and ethnic variations in alcohol abuse among US immigrants is limited. We compared the prevalence and correlates of alcohol abuse among US foreign-born versus US-natives by raceethnicity using data from the National Epidemiological Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions. Alcohol abuse outcomes included clinical diagnosis, excessive drinking, and intoxication. The foreign-born respondents had lower rates of alcohol abuse than the US-born, but some variations were noted by race-ethnicity. The risk of clinical diagnosis due to traumatic events was higher for the foreign-born population. Future research should continue to investigate the role of stress, the specific traumatic events most problematic for immigrant groups, and the interplay of the original and host culture in shaping the patterns of alcohol abuse in the immigrant population. © Springer Science+Business Media, LLC 2010.

Race/ethnicity Alcohol abuse Alcohol dependence Epidemiology immigrant status Excessive drinking

educational status risk sex ratio Continental Population Groups human risk assessment middle aged Odds Ratio statistics Ethnic Groups ethnic group comparative study Aged Logistic Models alcoholism ethnology Cross-Sectional Studies United States Young Adult cross-sectional study Humans male female Socioeconomic Factors Multivariate Analysis socioeconomics race prevalence Article adult migration Sex Distribution age distribution Emigration and Immigration statistical model